


A Different Battlefield

by Peak_my_interest



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Angst, Domestic Violence, F/F, M/M, Military, PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 17:32:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16602458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peak_my_interest/pseuds/Peak_my_interest
Summary: Sakura has recently returned from war, she was a Combat Medic in the Army. Upon returning, she struggles with PTSD and a sense of belonging. Sakura finds solace in working as an EMT, however when Ino Yamanaka comes back into her life her routine is thrown off. Can Sakura learn to cope with her own battle wounds, whilst putting back together the woman she once loved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters.

 

Chapter 1

"Haruno." The silver-haired man said watching the young woman with a curious expression. "You look nervous." He added as he adjusted the cuff of his uniform. His eyes looked over the woman with a bored expression; she was neatly dressed, yet eager like a small puppy. With a keen eye, he noticed that she shook slightly with the nerves of her first day.

"You can call me Sakura." She said with a slight smirk. The man gave a small smile, and a chuckle escaped his lips, and Sakura watched as he scratched his chin, she had noted earlier when she met him that he had a scar that went down across his left eye, she also noticed that same eye was a different color, but didn't dare ask any questions.

"Well, at least you have spunk." He looked at his watch and jerked his head to the ambulance behind him. Sakura nodded her understanding and went around to the other side of the emergency vehicle. She threw open the passenger door and climbed up into the seat shutting the door firmly behind her. The gadgets that littered the dashboard were a lot different than what she had handled in the military, and she was excited to really get started in her training. She was grateful that her Army Medic training could be translated into a civilian job, and she could start immediately as an EMT, only needing minimal training on what the civilian side did differently.

Her partner, and her trainer for the near future, was the man that sat next to her, Kakashi Hatake. He reached up onto the dashboard and grabbed a bright orange book. Sakura leaned forward ever so slightly to catch the title as he went to read it. Make out Paradise? Is it an erotic novel? She wondered as he settled into his seat to read.

"Uh, Kakashi, aren't you going to train me?" She asked timidly. His oddly colored eyes shot up to meet her emerald green ones.

"You were an Army combat medic, what do I have to train you on?"

Sakura's jaw dropped slightly, and he went back to reading. He's no help, but he's right. I was trained by Major Tsunade, one of the best combat medics in the Army. Sakura pulled herself out of her thoughts and grabbed her EMT training book from her backpack. She studied, always trying to better herself for whatever position she was in.

A sound emitted from the radio, and Kakashi snapped his book shut with a slight sigh. Sakura eyed him and thought she even saw him pout, she almost asked him about it, but the radio chattered and dispatch filled the cabin. Sakura listened to the information being given, a report of shortness of breath and chest pain. She gave a nod to Kakashi and he responded to the dispatch that their unit was on their way, as he flipped a switch and steered the vehicle out of the lot. Sakura buckled her seatbelt and took a deep breath, setting her mind on the task at hand.

It was just another day, and a different battlefield.

OoO

Sakura eyed the vitals as she sat in the back of the ambulance. Her seatbelt tightened around her waist as she felt the vehicle slow and make a sharp turn. She heard the sirens cut off, and felt the vehicle shift into park. She was already out of her restraint and working on taking the gentleman's belts off as well. Her fingers moved swiftly having learned these basics in her stint of EMS schooling. She eased the gurney forward and released the locks just as the doors of the ambulance were thrown open.

Doctors assisted in helping her take the gurney out of the back, and she saw Kakashi start to help as well. Sakura quickly shouted out the vitals and information that would be needed and the doctors quickly took the man in.

Only once everything was all over, and Sakura slid into the passenger seat next to Kakashi did she feel like she could finally breathe. Kakashi put a gentle hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"That was good Haruno." He smiled his lazy smile and Sakura felt herself smiling back, and she settled into her new role of being an EMT. "Let's get going." Kakashi said, and started the ambulance.

OoO

Sakura unlocked her apartment door, acknowledging how tired she was, it was a very long and nerve wracking first day. After she did her first initial call, they took four more. One car accident involving an older woman with what Sakura assumed was a minor concussion, two less serious calls one for shortness of breath that seemed like a panic attack, one for a broken ankle, and one more for a wellness check on an elderly man. She was glad that this town was very small, nicknamed The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was Sakura's hometown, Konoha.

Sakura noted that the light was on in the kitchen, which meant that her roommate was home. She smelled the uncanny scent of instant ramen.

"Naruto?" She called out in question. A man looked around the corner into the hall.

"Oh Sakura! You're back!" He said in his usual excited manner. "I was just making ramen, do you want some?" He asked his head returning back around the corner into the kitchen. Sakura walked down the hall, dropping her duffle bag at the door of her room as she went by.

"I'm all set Naruto; I ate just a little bit ago." She said stretching her arms up towards the ceiling.

"How was your first day? Anything like Iraq?" He asked peeking into his ramen cup to see if it was ready.

Sakura shook her head, her lips turning down into a slight frown. "No, nothing like Iraq." She murmured. Naruto grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the top of the microwave, and cracked them. He rubbed them together as he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Is it better?" He asked softly, his bright blue eyes filled with concern. Sakura eyed him wearily, and sighed.

"It helps to be needed, but of course I'm worried." She admitted. Naruto nodded, grabbing his ramen cup and going to sit at the table. He gestured for Sakura to sit with him as he began to slurp up the instant ramen.

Sakura took a seat across from him, and rested her head on her hand as she watched the blonde man eat messily, the broth leaving drips on the table and on his face. She waited for him to speak, not eager to fill the silence herself. Finally, he paused, and set his chopsticks across the cup. His eyes scanning Sakura's.

"Is your medication helping the nightmares?" He asked, in which Sakura nodded. He returned the nod, and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You think that this job is what you need?"

Sakura closed her eyes and thought back to the few calls they took today. The types of injuries and need were different from the front lines in the Army. She pushed away the thoughts and images of the men and women that she sewed back up, or attempted to sew back up at least. The men and women that she knew went back home mangled physically, and mentally.

"As I said Naruto, it helps to be needed." She whispered quietly. The blonde nodded, and Sakura looked towards the clock on the kitchen wall. "I should be going to bed." She told him, and he nodded.

"I won't be here in the morning; I have a class at 9 o'clock." He said picking up his chopsticks. Sakura stood from her chair, and looked at her closest friend. He worked at a dojo over one of the gyms in Konoha named The Will of Fire. Well, not really worked, but volunteered. Naruto offered classes for the orphans or kids in foster care. When he wasn't doing that Naruto worked at the school as the physical education teacher.

"Oh Naruto, I meant to ask. How is Sasuke? He hasn't been around in a while?" She smiled as she watched her friend's cheeks redden and he smiled sheepishly.

"He was promoted, so he's been busy. He still doesn't want to be public with our relationship. I understand though." Naruto said his smile faltering at the end. Sakura gave him a sad smile and dipped her head.

"He loves you, he's just scared." She said softly, and the blue-eyed man scratched the back of his head.

"I know." He looked at the tired woman standing in front of him. He stood and took care of his trash; he cast a look at the clock. "Thought you were going to bed?" Sakura nodded and gave the man a hug. "G'night Sakura, let me know if you need me." He said seriously.

Sakura could only nod in understanding, but she wouldn't call out to him. If she woke from the nightmares, she would simply lie in bed and wait it out. It was her usual plan; she would ground herself and wait for sleep to take her. Naruto made the offer every night, caring deeply for his friend but not knowing how to help. He had watched the girl grow up; even thinking he had a crush on her at one point. However, once he realized that he liked Sasuke, Sakura had been the one he told. When Sakura came out to him about being a lesbian he wasn't surprised, and when Sakura's best friend at the time declared that she liked Sasuke. Sakura had taken it upon herself to protect Naruto and Sasuke's secret. Until of course Ino had caught on to the fact that Sakura actually liked Ino. It was a mess, and Sakura fell to Naruto for comfort. As the two now out gay kids in school, they stuck together until the end.

Then one night Sakura came to Naruto and told him that she had enlisted in the Army. "They'll pay for school. I can become a doctor." She had told him. At first he was against the idea, but she was persistent and she trained right up until the day she shipped out to basic training. When Sakura came back for leave, he saw not the scared girl who was bullied mercilessly as a child and teenager, but a strong and determined young woman. That had been nearly 9 years ago. Now Sakura, however, while still strong and determined held a fractured spirit, and Naruto's heart ached for her.

OoO

Blood seeped out of the man's ears, and trickled down from the corner of his mouth. Sakura removed the vest so that she could get to his chest. She leaned her head down to listen for breath sounds. Nothing. She began to do compressions, pumping his chest. Her own ears still ringing from the blast that had thrown the man. "Stay alive." She chanted. She did two breaths for CPR and she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Haruno." She started compressions again. "Sergeant."The voice tried again. "Sergeant Haruno! He's gone, help the others."

Sakura woke from the nightmare, dripping in sweat. Her eyes not adjusting to the dark fast enough and she felt the panic rise in the throat. Heart pounding she gripped the sheets. Ground yourself. She reminded herself. ‘My name is Sakura Haruno, I am 27 years old, I am an Army Veteran. I am not active duty. I live in Konoha. My name is Sakura Haruno...’ She repeated the mantra over and over, reminding herself that she wasn't there. She couldn't help the man from her dream. Sakura took a deep breath, her heartbeat slowing, and the panic subsiding.

‘My name is Sakura Haruno...’ She continued with her chant; slowly, she drifted back off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Morning came much too quick for Sakura, and with the dim glow of the early sunrise she rose out of bed. She wasn't due to work until eight o'clock that morning, and with a glance at her alarm clock she saw that it was just barely 4:45am. The young woman rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and stretched her arms above her head. She stood, and made her way to her dresser, pulling out her work out clothes. Sakura took off her t-shirt and boxer shorts, realizing the warmth of her bedroom wasn't enough to keep her from getting a slight chill. She stood in the nude as she rummaged for a sports bra and underwear. The strawberry blonde quickly found what she was looking for and began to get dressed.

Once she was done she made her way to the kitchen, and quietly began to assemble what she would need. Taking care to not wake Naruto, who's bedroom was on the opposite side of the kitchen. She grabbed her iPod and headphones and slipped the buds into her ears. She turned on her music, gentle piano music, and allowed it to be the soundtrack to her life as she filled her water bottle. She glanced at the clock on the wall, and mentally reminded herself that she would need to eat before her shift. Even if she didn't want to. She slipped her tennis shoes on, and made her way out of the apartment. The air was cool, but not so cold that she regretted the tank top she wore. In fact, she knew that she would warm up once she began her run. She set her water bottle on the roof of her car, and stretched her muscles.

She was glad that Naruto had allowed her to live with him when she had returned. She was also glad that the apartment that they lived in was close to the park, and that is where she did her run each morning. Sakura grabbed her water bottle, and briskly began to walk in the direction of the park, her legs pumped with the familiar routine and she settled into that familiarity. Keep a routine. She told herself. The young woman reached the gates of the park, and stepped inside. She set her bottle down by a tree, and flipped through her iPod to select a more suitable playlist for her running. She decided to go the opposite direction that day, and went right instead of left. The loop would come back around to this tree, and she would get a sip of water. She would do five laps, that wasn't a lot, but it would be enough for today.

She noticed two men already running, both wearing ridiculous green outfits. She recognized them. It was the owner of the gym that Naruto volunteered at, Might Gai, and his adopted son Rock Lee. Sakura deliberately turned up her iPod, not wanting to hear them shouting to each other about the fountain of youth. Let's try to avoid them today Haruno. Sakura started her run, it was a nice pace, and she found herself reverting into what she had learned in basic training. Her thoughts repeating the cadence of her feet, almost like a song. Sakura's breathing was even, and she continued her pace pushing out any thoughts that may come.

OoO

Sakura came to a stop at the tree, and she scooped her water up and undid the cap. Her breathing was heavy, and there was a slight sheen of sweat across her bare arms and chest. Beads of the salty moisture dripped down her face, and she wiped it away with her shirt. She took a swig of her water and made her way out of the park. In the distance she heard the shout of Rock Lee.

"If I can't do 200 push-ups, I will do 100 laps around the park!"

"Thatta boy Lee!"

Sakura shook her head a smile on her face, and took another swig of water as she headed back to the apartment that she shared with Naruto. Sakura made a beeline straight to the shower, stripping off her work out clothes until she was standing in just her undergarments. She started the shower, and worked on stripping off the remainder of her clothes. Sakura found her eyes in the mirror over the sink, and she immediately looked away. She barely recognized herself as it was, the image in the mirror was of the Sakura before the war. Her face was the same as it was before she left, if not slightly more wrinkled and weathered, but in her eyes she saw pain that she could only have gotten from seeing the countless war torn bodies. The bloodied faces, the disfigured forms, the lifeless eyes, that's what she was left with.

She wasn't the same woman she was before, and she never would be.

The only constant in her life was Naruto, he was there before when they were young, and stayed throughout her being gone, even writing to her daily. Never allowing her to be alone, and when Sakura showed up six months ago at his door step, he took her into his arms and held her. The people of Konoha always thought they were together, and neither of them confirmed or denied the rumors. It made things easier for Naruto's secret relationship with Sasuke, and Sakura could keep away unnecessary suitors. Not that anyone wanted to pursue an army medic with PTSD anyway. She was thankful for the excitable young man, and his friendship. Sakura knew that she wouldn't have survived the transition without him.

Sakura stepped into the shower, her body accepting the soothing heat from the water as it trickled down her body. Sakura wet her loofah, and squeezed her body wash onto it. The smell of cherry blossoms reaching her nose and filling the bathroom with its flowery scent. Sakura scrubbed at her body, rubbing the sore muscles and lingering on especially tense ones. Once she finished washing her body, she rinsed her loofah and hung it back up. A quiet knock sounded as she began to rinse her body and she poked her head around the curtain.

"Come in Naruto." She said and the blonde man stepped into the bathroom.

"Sorry, I really have to pee." He said with a slight dance. Sakura retreated back into the warmth of the shower with a giggle.

"Just don't flush." She reminded him, wanting to avoid having her water turn into flames. Sakura began to rub her shampoo into her hair. Then she leaned her head back, letting the water rinse her short pinkish blonde hair, conveniently so she could drown out the sound of Naruto urinating next to her.

She heard the door close, and she finished rinsing out her hair. Once she was sure all the shampoo had been rinsed out. Sakura turned off the shower, and reached for her towel. She dried herself off, and wrapped the towel around her body. She ran a brush through her hair and avoided looking at herself in the mirror as she left the bathroom, and went to her bedroom to get dressed.

OoO

Once she finished her morning routine, Sakura returned to the kitchen. Naruto sat at the table, his short blonde hair stuck up in all directions and she knew that's how it would be left for the day. He was eating another cup of instant ramen.

"That is not breakfast." Sakura pointed out with a smile, and Naruto flashed her a sleepy grin.

"Of course it is!" He exclaimed as Sakura pulled out an instant oatmeal package and pouring it into a bowl. "That however," he said pointing at what she was doing. "That's not food, that's slop."

Sakura rolled her eyes, and poured water into the bowl and placed it into the microwave. The machine beeped as she typed in the time she wanted, and Naruto returned to his ramen. The whirring of the microwave filled the room, accompanied by the slurping of noodles.

"I thought you'd have slept in." Sakura said breaking the silence. Naruto fell silent, and Sakura looked over at him, his eyes avoided hers.

"You didn't sleep well." He said quietly, the concern for his friend shining in his bright blue eyes. Sakura sighed, realizing that she must have called out in her sleep. Naruto was typically a sound sleeper, so she must have been loud. "I'm sorry." He added when she didn't say anything.

"You don't have to apologize, I appreciate your concern Naruto." She looked at him sadly. "But-" she was interrupted by the beeping of the microwave. She opened the door and pulled out the bowl, and grabbed the milk. "But, I'm doing better. Truly."

Naruto simply nodded and dropped the conversation. Sakura finished making her meal and sat across from Naruto to eat her oatmeal. She acknowledged the time, and made sure that she would have enough time to finish getting ready. The two friends made small talk, engaging about the weather for the day and talking about Sakura's work schedule. Naruto became confused when they talked about her three on four off, four on three off schedule and Sakura had to explain it to him slower.

"It keeps us from getting burned out." She told him. "I work today and tomorrow, and then I have four days off." She finished and watched as the man broke into a grin.

"Awesome, well Sasuke will be coming out later this week." He smiled and Sakura eyebrows shot up.

"Do I need to find somewhere to go?" She said with a smirk.

Naruto's jaw dropped, and a blush crept up his face, darkening by the second. "Uh-no. We-we aren't doing that. He's- he's making me dinner." He stammered out. Sakura raised an eyebrow in an I'm-not-stupid way and the blonde became, if possible, even more scarlet. Naruto's eyes darted around everywhere but Sakura's. "He also wants to see you." He added, and Sakura's smirk slipped.

"So he knows." She murmured.

"I think he assumes." Naruto replied. "Remember Itachi?"

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat, of course she remembered Itachi. Everyone in Konoha remembered the man who joined the military and when he got out went crazy and killed his whole family. Except for his little brother Sasuke. Sakura remembered the week in middle school when Sasuke disappeared, and when he came back, he wasn't the same. He was full of anger, and hatred. It took a long time for Sasuke to return to normal, and it was thanks to Naruto that he did.

"I'm not Itachi." Sakura murmured looking away from the concern and love in Naruto's eyes.

"I know you're not Sakura, but we want you to know you are not alone." He said softly reaching for Sakura's hand, but she pulled away and stood up. Her oatmeal unfinished.

"I'm going to work."

Naruto did not point out that it was too early.

OoO

Sakura waited in the ambulance bay for her partner. She had been there for around an hour, and he was late. _‘Is he normally late?’_ She wondered as she paced back and forth by the emergency vehicle. She could feel herself becoming panicked, her stomach tightening with each passing minute. _‘It's only 15 minutes past.’_ She chided herself in an attempt to calm herself down. Sakura was always early, a trait she picked up from the military. Maybe not an hour early, but at least 15 minutes early.

Finally the tall older man came around the corner, his hands in his pockets. He saw her and raised one hand in a lazy greeting.

"Yo."

"You're late." She said crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Am I? I guess I got lost." He replied looking off whimsically. Sakura rolled her eyes, and deducted that this was a normal thing for him. Kakashi threw open the door and climbed up into the ambulance. "Are you coming?" He asked, and Sakura followed him up into the back in order to start checking over the inventory and supplies to make sure they were left with a fully stocked vehicle.

OoO

Sakura was getting irritated, it had been a long shift. Since Konoha was mostly rural, minus some areas of population, it had been a slower day, and twelve hours with Kakashi Hatake was a job in itself. She had tried multiple times to get him to talk about himself, and each time he redirected the question or simply ignored her.

"If you're going to be my partner, I need to know things about you."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "I don't think that's true." He said finally, his eyes never leaving his book.

"What are your hobbies?" She tried again. "Besides reading that damn book." She added before he could.

"Hobbies?" He murmured looking up at her and scratching his chin. "Hobbies..." He said again pondering the question. Sakura was hopeful that he would finally give her something, anything at this point. "I have many hobbies." He said finally, and promptly returned to his book.

Sakura groaned in frustration and leaned away from him, then pulled out her technical manual. "Fine, I don't care anyway." She lied as she started to thumb through her manual. The seasoned paramedic ignored her.

OoO

Sakura held tightly to the handle in the ambulance cab and took a deep breath as Kakashi steered them to the address that dispatch had given them moments ago. Sakura went over the call. Female, unresponsive, possible overdose. The ambulance was met by a police officer and Kakashi and Sakura hopped out quickly grabbing their things as they were led into a nice home. Kakashi immediately saw the victim and rushed to her, Sakura startled when she saw the woman lying on the floor.

Her blonde hair, was pulled up into a high pony tail, and her long blonde bangs hung in front of her face. She was pale, and her eyes were closed, but Sakura knew that if her eyes were open they would be a brilliant shade of blue that would take her breath away. Sakura lunged forward, her hands immediately reacting to the training as Kakashi and herself began to assist. Kakashi administered a medication to nullify the effects of the pain medications that were reported to have been taken. Sakura rolled the girl onto her back and checked for breath sounds, her hands coming over the woman's chest to start compressions. Kakashi gave her a nod.

"Hang in there Ino." Sakura whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Naruto. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think. 
> 
> This will be edited.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Sakura sat at the edge of the playground, her small frame folded up and shaking slightly with the sobs that wracked her body. Her greasy pinkish blonde hair hung down in front of her eyes to hide her forehead, and her tears. Across the playground, a cute blonde girl stood with her friends and listened to them talking about the pink haired girl with the big forehead. Her bright aquamarine eyes glanced over to the tiny figure alone on the edge of the playground. Sakura noticed a shadow cast across her and looked up, the tears streaming down her face._

_"Hey, you're the one that has a big forehead right?" The blue eyed girl asked crossing her arms. Sakura let out another choked sob. The girl's eyebrows rose and she squatted down to get closer to the crying Sakura. "So this is the forehead huh?" She poked a finger into Sakura's forehead causing the pink-haired girl to look up at her, and with surprise the other girl put her hand directly to Sakura's forehead and pushed up her bangs._

_"You look a little like a sheepdog like that." She said matter-of-factly. "What's your name?"_

_"Sa-Sakura," the girl murmured, her crying now paused._

_"Huh, speak up!" The other girl said with a smile._

_"My name is Sakura!" She practically shouted._

_"That's better! My name is Ino, Ino Yamanaka!" She said grabbing onto Sakura's hands and pulling the girl to her feet._

_Sakura stared at Ino, admiring her confidence as the blonde stood with her hands on her hips. Her bright blue eyes boring into Sakura's emerald ones. Ino put and hand to her chin, looking at Sakura as one would look at a painting._

_"I've got an idea, meet me here tomorrow." Ino said with a smile, and the recess bell sounded. Ino bounded off towards her friends with a wave at the stunned pink haired girl._

Sakura gripped Ino's cold hand with hers, tears forming in her eyes as she felt Kakashi turn the ambulance onto the street. The sirens sounding, but they felt a million miles away. There was a beep on the monitor, and Sakura looked up, watching the vitals, the pixilated heart on the screen pulsing and reminding Sakura that Ino was alive. Even if just barely. Sakura gripped Ino's hand tighter and closed her eyes, sending a prayer to whoever would listen.

_Recess was almost over, and Sakura had waited at the edge of the playground forever. Tears began to well in her eyes. Ino had played a prank on her, and she fell for it. The pink haired girl collapsed to the ground, and pulled her knees to her chest. Her forehead rested on her kneecaps and she let the tears flow._

_"Sakura!"_

_Sakura's head shot up, and she saw that Ino was running towards her. She wiped at her tears, not wanting the blonde to see her crying because Sakura thought she wasn't coming. Ino stopped in front of Sakura, bending slightly to catch her breath._

_"S-sorry I ha- I had to stay after."_

_"It-it's okay Ino."She murmured shyly, as she stood up to meet the girl. Ino beamed and held out her hand, in it fluttered a red ribbon._

_"Here, this will get your hair out of your face." Ino stepped forward and gestured for Sakura to turn around so that she could put the ribbon in her hair. Sakura obliged and stood still as she felt Ino moving her small delicate hands through her pink hair, and tying the ribbon. When Sakura turned back around, she noticed that her bangs were out of her eyes and she gently touched her hair to feel the ribbon tied as a headband. Ino smiled at her, and Sakura could feel her cheeks warming under Ino's stare._

_"You know Sakura, you're really cute." Ino said and Sakura felt her cheeks go from warm to hot._

_"T-thank you." Sakura stammered, and smiled when Ino giggled. A melodious sound that she'd never realized she had been missing._

Sakura heard the sirens cut off and the ambulance began to slow. She released Ino's hand and undid her restraints before working on the gurney restraints and the vital monitor. Sakura's eyes never left Ino's face as she prepped her for movement, the back doors of the ambulance opened and Sakura tore her eyes away to shout out the information the doctors needed. She reached out and touched Ino's face as they moved the gurney away.

Sakura stood, watching the team of doctors disappear behind the doors. Kakashi came and stood next to her. Sakura could feel his bi-colored eyes staring at her and she peeled her own eyes away from the double doors.

"Now, I'm just throwing ideas around here, but it almost seemed like you know her." He said casually rolling his shoulders in a shrug. Sakura turned to him, a sad smile on her face.

She nodded, and cast another look at the door. "I knew her once, but I don't know her anymore." She said walking away from the taller man, and climbing up into the cabin of the ambulance. Kakashi sighed, and followed the pink-haired woman.

OoO

Sakura collapsed onto her bed, she had just washed away the evening, but she had not been able to wash away the memories of Ino Yamanaka lying unconscious on her floor. Sakura stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the apartment. The whir of the refrigerator, the water pipes, the creak of the flooring. Sakura turned her head, and saw Naruto standing in the doorway, his lean frame leaning on the door casing.

"Hey Sakura." He said quietly.

"Hey Naruto."

The blonde stared at her, she couldn't see his blue eyes but she knew that he was probably giving his typical look, the concerned friend look. She was starting to hate it, he came in and she realized tears had started to dampen her cheeks. Naruto sat on her bed and she sat up, pulling him into a hug. Naruto put his arms around her, and she sobbed into his chest. He held her until she stopped, not asking questions. That was one thing she did like about Naruto, his unwavering loyalty and friendship.

"Rough night?" He asked, knowing that he couldn't ask specifics, because she wasn't allowed to tell him about a patient. She nodded, and pulled away from him. Her eyes bore into his.

"It-" she paused, debating with herself about the privacy laws. "It was Ino." She said finally. Naruto's eyes widened, for a while Ino had been his friend too.

"Is-is she dead?" He asked a slight whimper in his voice. Sakura shook her head fiercely.

"No, she was stable when I brought her in. I obviously haven't heard." She said.

Naruto nodded, and looked at Sakura with a sad look. "Does she know you're back in town?" Sakura shrugged, and looked away from the man.

"Rumors might have reached her, but I haven't seen her."

"She's married you know."

Sakura's eyes snapped to his, she hadn't expected that. The only boy or man that Sakura knew Ino to be obsessed with was Sasuke. She thought back to their high school career, and the only person she could think of was Shikamaru.

"Shika?" She asked. Naruto shook his head.

"No, his name is Sai, I think. He was homeschooled, you probably don't know him." Naruto's eyes darkened, and he looked away from Sakura.

"What're you not saying Naruto." She asked narrowing her eyes. He shook his head.

"I can't, it's not my place." He muttered with a frown, obviously fighting himself on his morals. Sakura went to speak, and Naruto shook his head. "Make peace with her, she could use someone." He said his bright blue eyes pleading with Sakura.

"I-" she paused, "I don't know Naruto." She laid back on her bed, staring back up at the ceiling. Naruto lay down next to her and put his arms behind his head. The two falling into a comfortable silence. Sakura heard rain falling outside, and she turned her head to the side to look towards her window.

_"Come on Sakura, we need to get inside!" Ino squealed grabbing her best friends hand. Sakura laughed and spun out of Ino's grasp. Sakura titled her head back letting the rain fall across her face as she twirled._

_"Come on Ino, it's just rain!" Sakura told the blonde with a grin._

_"My make-up will get ruined forehead!" She joked. Sakura ran up to the other girl and grabbed her hands pulling her into the rain, and she didn't lie, instantly her make-up began to run. Sakura giggled and Ino wiped the make-up off with her shirt with an exasperated look, before breaking out into a giggle. Sakura's breath hitched, and she realized how close Ino was to her. Their breath intermingling with the close proximity, their hands intertwined and hips nearly touching._

_"You're beautiful," Sakura breathed, and Ino looked at the pink-haired teen with a curious expression. Raindrops dripped down her face and Sakura reached a hand up to wipe away the droplets, but Ino took a step back, breaking the spell. Sakura's hand fell to her side and she realized what she'd done. A blush crept up her face, but Ino wasn't looking at her._

_"I should go." The blonde said softly, and Sakura nodded dumbly._

_"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered, and Ino turned back to look into the green eyes of her best friend._

_"H-how long?" She asked. Sakura sighed, and knew it was futile to lie, instead she shrugged._

_"I don't know when it started." She replied, but it wasn't enough for Ino._

_Ino shook her head, anger bubbling. "I let you sleep in my bed. You've been a creep this whole time?" She spat, and Sakura winced. Ino stepped further away, her arms wrapping around herself. "I can't believe you." She whispered venomously, and stormed off._

"Sakura," Naruto said breaking the pink-haired woman out of her memory. She turned to him, their eyes locked. "You've never gotten over her."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"No, I haven't. But it never mattered anyway, she isn't gay."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sterile environments such as the hospital made Sakura nervous, which she never understood. She had patched up soldiers and civilians in huts and straight on the ground, but something about the smell and feel of hospitals made her stomach tighten and her heart pound. Sakura looked at the receptionist desk and took a deep breath. Naruto had convinced her to come here to see Ino, but as she stood there, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to. The receptionist was on the phone, which gave Sakura more time to think and calm herself down. Unfortunately the phone conversation wasn't long, and before Sakura made her own decision the woman looked directly at her.

"Can I help you?" She asked sweetly, her smile reaching her eyes. Sakura nodded, and stepped up to the desk.

"I was wondering if I could see Ino Yamanaka." She said quietly, and the woman immediately began to type into her computer. Sakura watched as the woman's eyes scanned the screen, and the woman let out a quiet "ah, hm" as she read the notes.

"Are you family?" She asked looking back at Sakura, who stood nervously wringing her hands. Sakura shook her head, and the woman tilted her head with a sad smile. "Unfortunately only family is allowed at this time maybe you can check back in at a later da-" She was cut off by a man with short black hair storming into the atrium of the hospital followed by a sharp dressed police officer with longer jet black hair. Sakura watched them curiously.

"She needs to come home. She is fine." The man said roughly.

"The doctors have requested to keep her for a few more days." The officer told him.

"I know my rights, she doesn't have to stay here." He retorted, his face reddening with anger. The police officer crossed his arms, a bored expression on his face.

"If I heard correctly sir, you are about to miss your flight." He said coolly, eyes narrowing in intimidation. "Your wife is better off staying here for follow ups and observation than being home alone." The angry man glared at the officer and nodded his assent before storming out of the hospital.

Sakura's eyes met the dark, practically obsidian, eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. She hadn't gotten a chance to say hello that morning, because he had slipped out of the apartment before she had woken up. She had really been looking forward to teasing the grown man about sneaking around with his long time boyfriend. That might've been his plan all along. She thought as he returned her smile. Sasuke made his way over to her.

"Ah, Sakura, are you here to see Ino?" He asked leaning onto the reception desk. He was ignoring the stare of the woman manning the desk. His ability to block out the women that flocked to him always impressed Sakura.

"I was, but I was just told that only family is allowed in." She said casting a glance at the swooning woman. Sakura repressed an eye roll when she noticed the woman's mouth slightly parted, she wouldn't have been surprised if the woman started drooling. Sasuke smirked and turned his attention to the receptionist.

"Excuse me," he glanced at her name tag, "Naomi." He paused and she startled ever so slightly with him saying her name. "Miss Haruno here is a friend of Ino's and important to my current open case." He said with an air of mystery. Sakura hid a grin, and tried to look forlorn. When did he learn to harness this power? Sakura wondered watching him smile at the receptionist.

"Of course Officer Uchiha." Naomi said with a flirty smile.

"Lieutenant." He corrected with a wink, and gestured to Sakura to follow him. Sakura gave her thanks to Naomi and as soon as they were out of ear shot she gave Sasuke a playful shove.

"Did you actually wink?" She asked holding back a laugh. "What happened to you? You've changed since high school." She pointed out. Sasuke looked at her out of the corner of his eye but offered no words.

Sakura shook her head, and they turned down another hall. She felt her nerves start, and her hands became clammy. She hadn't seen Ino in years, not since they graduated. Except for when she had brought her in, but Sakura was running on adrenaline and training. It would be different, simply because Ino would see her for the first time since graduation.

"How is she?" Sakura asked. Sasuke paused, stopping right outside what Sakura assumed was Ino's door.

"She's got a road ahead of her," he replied looking into Sakura's eyes. "But she's alive." He added.

"No issues or complications?" Sakura asked, accessing the situation. She could feel herself compartmentalizing, putting combat medic Sakura to the forefront and leaving nervous Sakura behind.

"None that the doctors are aware of, but emotionally, well-" he trailed off. Sakura nodded, knowing full well that Ino Yamanaka had intended to end her life. Sasuke put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and gave her a curt nod. Then he lightly rapt his knuckles on the closed door.

"Come in," came a quiet voice.

Sasuke stepped into the room first, followed by Sakura. Her nerves returning as soon as she saw Ino laying back in the hospital bed.

"Sasuke, I thought we were done with the-" She froze, her bright blue eyes widening as she took in the sight of Sakura standing there next to Sasuke. Sakura could feel her knees shaking slightly. Ino looked just as beautiful as she always had, her long blonde hair wasn't in it's typical ponytail, instead it cascaded down around the woman's shoulders. Sasuke looked between the two women and smirked.

"I was just showing Sakura where your room was," he said with a slight shrug. "Anyway, thank you for your time Ino." He nodded to the blonde who broke her gaze and looked back at Sakura.

"Thank you Sasuke."

"I'll see you later Sakura." Sasuke said slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Sakura glanced at Ino, and was trapped in her gaze. She didn't know what to say now that she stood there. Her cheeks felt warm, and she realized she was blushing.

"Hey Ino," she murmured taking a hesitant step closer to the woman. She noticed Ino seemed frail and pale, her body hidden under the cotton hospital blanket.

"I thought you were dead." Ino said, her voice barely above a whisper. She stared at Sakura as if she still truly believed the woman was dead, and that she was just a ghost.

Sakura sighed, and looked at Ino intensely. "I thought you were too." Ino tilted her head curiously, and her eyes widened slightly.

"How did you-" she paused, "no one is suppose to know I'm here besides-" she trailed off, her gaze dropping to her hands. Sakura frowned, the images of seeing Ino unconscious coming back to her mind.

"I was there, when you, uh-" she looked away. "I-I'm an EMT." She told the blue-eyed woman in an attempt to explain. Ino took a deep breath and looked back at Sakura.

"So, you saved me then." She stated, and Sakura shrugged. "Thank you." Ino murmured, her face crumpling into shame. Sakura stepped up to the hospital bed, finally closing the distance. She hesitantly took Ino's slender hand into hers.

"Naruto told me to stop being stupid and come see you." Sakura admitted, a small smile appearing on her face.

"About time he produced a good idea." Ino joked. Sakura noticed tears well in the blonde's eyes and she pulled the girl gently into a hug. Sakura could feel Ino's tears dampening her shirt and both of their bodies shook with the woman's sobs.

"I've missed you Sakura." Ino said into Sakura's chest. The strawberry blonde rubbed Ino's back gently.

"I've missed you too Ino."

OoO

Sakura stayed until Ino fell asleep, watching as the blonde's eyelids finally slipped closed and her breathing evened out and slowed down. The pink-haired woman found a scrap of paper and wrote down her phone number with the note 'Call anytime.' She set it on Ino's tray where she would see it when she woke up. Sakura stood for a moment watching Ino sleep before she let herself out of the room. She gently closed the door behind her, and leaned against the cool wall. A sense of peace, and of relief falling over her. They had talked about the old days, before their friendship ended, and stuck to happier conversation. Neither mentioning the elephant in the room, which was why they ended their friendship. Instead they had settled into a familiar banter.

It had been, well, nice.

Sakura sighed, and pushed herself away from the wall. She made her way through the sterile hospital, her mind thinking back to high school. The day in the rain, where their friendship abruptly ended, was right before they started their freshman year. And for Sakura, having been glued to Ino's hip up until then, it was very strange to start high school without Ino by her side.

_Weeks passed before Sakura had made any friends, having quickly realized that the friends she had had before were only because of her friendship with Ino. Those same friends whispered about her, from behind hands and books, across rooms and behind her back. Lesbo, creep, carpet muncher. She ignored them, and eventually the whispers changed. All of a sudden they moved on to the next and she was old news. Walking into her art class at the end of the day she noticed that her table had been claimed._

_Naruto Uzumaki._

_Sakura took a seat across from him, planning on ignoring his presence. However she couldn't ignore the bloodied lip and the bruise forming around one of his eyes. She also noticed the tears that threatened to fall. She looked away, and tried to pay attention to their teacher. She realized that her mind kept going back to the boy across the table, wondering what had happened to him prior to class._

_"You will work at your table, the assignment is to use any medium to portray a subject that represents Konoha." The teacher announced bringing Sakura back to the present. Sakura shot a look at Naruto and caught his blue eyes already looking at her. The rest of the class broke out in a cacophony of voices excited to be working with their friends._

_Sakura had to keep herself from staring at the swollen eye, and to her dismay Naruto knew that she was._

_"I was punched." He told her finally, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise._

_"I'm sorry."_

_Naruto shook his head. "It's fine." He said flatly, and Sakura bit her lip._

_"Well, what should we do to represent Konoha?" She asked, bringing it back to the project._

_Naruto shrugged, and suddenly he was hit in the head by a crumpled paper ball. He looked at Sakura, his eyes flashing with anger. She watched as he balled his hands into fists. "We should do a project that represents homophobia in this stupid town." He said, his words dripping with venom. Sakura's eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped._

_"Y-you're gay?" She asked dumbfounded. Naruto's eyebrows disappeared into his shaggy blonde hair._

_"Are you not?" He asked, and Sakura shook her head. "Well damn, I heard that you were." He said simply with a shrug of his shoulders. Sakura cast a look over at Ino, and saw her head thrown back in a laugh, Shikamaru had a small smile on his face. She felt a pang of loneliness, and she noticed that Naruto was also looking over at the blonde girl. He looked back at Sakura, and raised an eyebrow._

_"I almost kissed her over the summer." She muttered. "I mean, I thought I might like her, and she was close and I almost kissed her, and she confronted me." Sakura put her forehead on the table with a groan._

_"So, you're not gay?" Naruto asked again, and Sakura shrugged. He broke into a grin, "Classic lesbian, falling for your best friend." Sakura clenched her fist and raised it threateningly._

_"Watch it, I'll give you one to match."_

Sakura got into her car, and set off for home. Wondering if Ino would call, or if that was the end. Either way that Sakura looked at it, Ino had two options, and the ball was in her court.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been a week; and Sakura was at wits end. She spent each day with her stomach in knots and her eyes on her phone. The pink-haired girl had asked her best friend what he thought about the situation; and as always, he wasn't helpful. He did offer her some sort of relief when he reminded her that Ino probably had to stay for a few nights. Sakura knew he was right, but it didn't help the feelings of insecurity and the subtle reminders of being pushed away by Ino so many years ago.

Sakura stepped into the kitchen, noticing a small piece of paper on the table.

_Sakura,_

_I had to go into work, a meeting. Then I'm going over to Sasuke's._

__

__

By the way, I used the last of the toilet paper.

Sorry.

_-Naruto_

Sakura frowned, and rolled her eyes. _Of course he did,_ She thought going to the bathroom to see if he checked everywhere. She rummaged through the cupboards and the closet before finally giving up. Sakura heaved a sigh; and then decided that she would just shower after doing her business. The pink-haired woman got a change of clothes -a red t-shirt and jeans- and then proceeded to use the bathroom. Sakura was only slightly irritated that the morning was now dedicated to running errands, even so she quickly got into the shower. _But,_ Sakura thought; _at least it'll take my mind off_

OoO

Sakura stood next to her car, and she stared towards the local grocery store. Her emerald green eyes scanned the parking lot; noting that there were more vehicles than there were normally. She even noticed a large delivery truck parked outside. With a deep breath, Sakura wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her jeans. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her iPod and headphones, she slipped the buds into her ear and turned on her music. She knew that if she didn't wear the headphones she'd be more likely to panic in the throngs of people in the store. Sakura hustled into the store, knowing that she couldn't hesitate, or she'd back out. _We really need toilet paper._ She reminded herself as she grabbed a cart to begin her shopping.

Sakura retrieved the toilet paper first, and then focused on getting bits of groceries. The music swam through her ears, and she found herself pushing out all the people that moved around her. One gentleman had bumped into her and she offered him a smile, only to receive an eye roll in response. She moved quickly through the aisles, grabbing the entire stock of instant ramen cups, before finally making her way to the check out.

Sakura noticed the length of the lines, and a small sigh escaped her lips. She stood and kept watch of the lengths. She would hop in when she noticed one getting smaller, but not before then. She didn't want to have the feeling of being trapped. The loud, yet gentle, piano music continued to play in her ears and she continued to scan the lanes.

All at once Sakura felt a pressure on her shoulder, and she whipped her head around. Her hands leapt from being gripped on the cart and coming up as fists protecting her face. Her vision had blacked out momentarily, and the pressure on her shoulder disappeared. It took just a breath of time before the stunned image of Ino Yamanaka swam into view. Sakura's heart was beating from the sudden change.

Ino's lips moved; and Sakura realized quickly that she was talking to her. She ripped the headphones out of her ears and was greeted by the giggle of the blonde.

"I've been calling your name," the blonde said with a grin. Ino's eyes met hers, and Sakura found herself swirling in those turquoise pools. The blonde haired woman tilted her head to the side, an eyebrow rising in question. She shifted her arms to adjust the bouquet that she held. "Um, Sakura?"

The pink-haired woman snapped out of her hypnosis and sputtered, trying to come up with something to say. Ino bit back a laugh at the sight of Sakura trying to speak.

"Ino!" She said as if she'd just casually strolled up to the girl. "You're out of the hospital?" Sakura asked.

"I got out a couple of days ago," Ino replied shifting the flowers awkwardly.

"Oh," Sakura murmured finally noticing the bouquet of flowers that Ino held. Sakura raised her eyes back to the blonde. "Who are the flowers for?" She asked for lack of a better question.

Ino looked down at the flowers and then smirked at her old friend. She set the flowers down into a floral display. Sakura watched, and mentally smacked herself. The flowers weren't for anyone.

"Did you take over your parents flower shop?" Sakura asked curiously. Ino smiled sadly but didn't answer. The strawberry blonde woman stepped away from the blonde nervously and casually wrapped her headphones around her iPod. She didn't dare watch Ino place the bouquets into the display, but she also wasn't sure if she should walk away or try to strike up a better conversation. So, she just tucked her iPod into her pocket and went to grab her cart to move away.

"Well, it was nice to-"

"Are you busy today?" Ino blurted out, startling Sakura.

Sakura shook her head and gestured to the cart full of things. "I'm just picking up things for Naruto and I, and then I'm going home." She said a small smile forming on her lips. Ino's face fell, and she took a step back from Sakura.

"Oh, I was wondering, if you maybe, want to get lunch?"

Sakura grinned; a true genuine smile. "Of course, that sounds great." Ino breathed out a sigh of relief. "It'll be nice to eat with someone that isn't Naruto." Sakura joked. Ino's smile faltered and Sakura looked at her worriedly, but the blonde quickly plastered a bright smile back onto her face.

"How about I meet you at one o'clock? I just have to finish up here, and I think you want to get your groceries home." Ino suggested. Sakura nodded and the two women quickly hatched out the details. They decided on a simple cafe where they could get coffee and a bite to eat. With a quick, and slightly awkward hug the two women parted ways. Ino continued to put the bouquets into the floral display, and Sakura quickly made her way to an open lane. The pink-haired girl found that she kept sneaking glances at the blonde; all the way until she stepped out of the grocery store.

OoO

Sakura waited patiently outside the local coffee shop, her eyes scanning the faces of the people milling about the sidewalk. It was just before one o'clock on a Saturday, and Sakura felt a little overwhelmed by the crowds. She had her headphones in, the piano music creating a barrier between the world and her. A light breeze made her shiver slightly and she was grateful that shortly she'd be having a cup of coffee to warm herself up. The cool air was a gift from the beginning of autumn. It had finally arrived, and sent away the summer heat; instead leaving behind the crisp air. Sakura took a deep breath, and focused on the crescendo of the piano music as it flowed through her senses. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them she noticed Ino finally coming down the street. Sakura took out her headphones and began to wrap them up.

_She must have changed,_ Sakura thought noticing that Ino no longer wore the plain attire she had been in at the grocery store. Instead she had replaced it with a more stylish outfit. Sakura too had changed, but not into anything like what Ino now wore. She'd opted for the same jeans she had been wearing; the only thing that changed was her shirt color. Sakura never was a fashion guru, at one point she had relied heavily on Ino's abilities.

"Have you been waiting long?" Ino asked when she came to a stop in front of a stunned Sakura. The pink-haired girl shook her head, when in reality she'd been there for over a half-hour. Sakura tucked her iPod into her pocket and smiled at Ino.

"Shall we?" She asked cheekily holding open the door for the blonde. Ino rolled her eyes and stepped into the coffee shop. Sakura followed. Ino had taken the reins and led them to an empty table in the back of the coffee shop. Sakura waited for Ino to sit first, and noted that Ino took the chair that faced the room.

Sakura would have to sit back to the room. She took a deep breath, and took the seat. She mentally noted the exits, which was just the one they had come in from. They were tucked into a corner that didn't have windows, it would almost be a more romantic spot. If however, Sakura didn't feel so claustrophobic.

"Sakura?" Ino said with a hint of concern. Sakura looked at the blonde and realized they had been joined by a waitress; whom was looking expectantly at Sakura.

"Uh, I'm sorry." She muttered and looked at Ino.

"I ordered a chai tea," Ino said. Sakura looked back at the waitress, not surprised that the waitress looked annoyed.

"Coffee, please." Sakura said finally, and the woman left with the orders.

The two women sat in silence, and Sakura could feel herself sweating. She wondered if Ino could tell that she was nervous. It turns out, Ino could.

"Sakura, are you alright?" She asked. The pink-haired woman nodded, but Ino remained unconvinced. "Is this about when we were kids?" She asked bluntly. Sakura's eyes shot up to look at Ino; and found that Ino looked back at her with amusement. "Do I make you nervous?" She chuckled.

"No- it's not that." Sakura frowned slightly, not sure how to explain. The waitress had returned with both drinks, and a tray of creamers for Sakura. Ino sipped her chai tea and sighed with relief. Sakura cracked open a tiny creamer and poured it into her coffee. Ino rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands underneath her chin. Her bright turquoise colored eyes fixed on Sakura, waiting for more of a response.

"If it's not from when I was a jerk then why are you so quiet?" Ino asked. Sakura stirred her coffee and set down the spoon before finally looking at the blonde.

"The military," she said simply, but Ino didn't seem to accept that so she pressed on, "I-I have PTSD." Sakura stammered slightly her eyes dropping to her coffee before returning to Ino's eyes. Sakura held back a sigh of relief when she saw that instead of pity in Ino's eyes she saw- understanding?

"How was it there?" Ino asked quietly, and Sakura shrugged. She didn't have an answer for such a question. It was terrifying, and exciting at the same time. It was lonely yet some of the closest friends she'd ever had were there. But then all of a sudden, those friends weren't there anymore. Sakura couldn't explain how it was there; not to Ino, not to Naruto, not to anyone who wasn't there. Those memories, the good, the bad and the terrible, those were for Sakura to bear alone.

"It was war," Sakura replied after a few moments.

Ino nodded, unsure of what to say to such a small answer. The blonde sipped her tea, and watched as Sakura cast a couple glances around the coffee shop. She decided to try a different avenue of questioning.

"When did you get back?" She asked.

"Six-ish months ago."

"You said you were living with Naruto?" Ino asked. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the tone of Ino's question.

"Yes, I am." She replied, and Ino nodded. "He's been there for me since before I left. He's been amazing." Sakura continued, her heart swelling with love for Naruto. He really was the closest thing to a brother she's ever had.

"I always thought you two were cute together." Ino stated with a smile. Sakura's jaw dropped and she shook her head fiercely.

"Oh no, we aren't dating," Sakura said waving her hands as if trying to repel Ino's statement. Ino's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened in shock.

"I assumed, I mean you're living with the guy." She pointed out.

"Ino, he's gay." Sakura deadpanned, and Ino's hand shot up to cover her agape mouth.

"No. Way."

"I can't believe you didn't know, have you ever seen him with a girl?" Sakura asked rolling her eyes.

Ino sputtered, the surprise rendering her speechless. Ino made a gesture with her hands at Sakura. "I thought he was with you!" She exclaimed. Sakura burst out laughing, of course Sakura was always with the boy. Why wouldn't they be together. Hell, the whole town thought they were together. Sakura just assumed that Ino wouldn't think that because, well, Sakura was a lesbian.

"Living with him is hard enough, I'm definitely not dating him." Sakura said with a grin. Ino just shook her head, a smile now playing on her own lips.

Sakura took a drink of her coffee. "So, what about you. I hear you're married." She said eyeing the blonde curiously. She noticed that Ino's eyes darkened and she looked down at her drink.

"His name is Sai, I met him at the flower shop. He was getting flowers for his mother's grave. He was sweet, and a little odd, but we hit it off." She said falling into the memory. Sakura watched as a sad smile crossed Ino's features as she recalled the past. "A year later, my parents died, car accident," Ino took a deep breath and Sakura could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She reached across the table and took Ino's small hand in hers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Sakura murmured. Ino smiled weakly and wiped at the tears with her other hand.

"You were gone, it's okay." Ino wiped at the tears again and took a napkin off the table to dab at her make-up. "Anyway, he helped me through all that. He'd been there, and when he asked me to marry him it felt like the right thing to do."

Sakura looked at Ino, "But?" She asked.

"But, once his career took off... he's just gone a lot. He's angrier too. He was so sweet when I met him..." She trailed off and looked at Sakura begging her to change the subject. Sakura released Ino's hand and sat back in her chair.

"Is he gone now?" Sakura asked, and Ino nodded. Sakura thought back to the note on the table that morning, Naruto would be gone with Sasuke. "Hey, would you like to come over tonight? Sleepover? We can watch a movie. I don't like to be home alone, and Naruto is over at his boyfriends tonight." Sakura asked, knowing full well that she actually enjoyed being home alone at night. She didn't have to worry about Naruto's worries.

Ino accepted the offer, but not before trying to find out who Naruto was dating, and the two girls fell into a comfortable conversation about the evening. The conversation ended with what movie to watch; before Ino just decided that she would just pick one out and bring it. The blonde took down the address so that she'd be able to find the place, and with a final attempt at finding out who Naruto's boyfriend was the two women departed the coffee shop.

Sakura walked with Ino to her car, and hugged her before she got in. As Ino drove away Sakura reached into her pockets and pulled out her iPod. She turned it on and put in the ear buds. The piano music trilled smoothly through the speakers and she made her way down the street to where she had parked. Her thoughts went through the conversation she had with Ino about Sai. She'd picked up on the past tense, was so sweet, felt like the right thing to do. Sakura already didn't like the guy, especially with the knowledge that he was gone on a business trip barely a week after his wife attempted suicide.

Sakura made it to her car and turned off her iPod. She was anxious for the evening, but being in her own space would help her nerves. She was glad that she had picked up groceries. She was even gladder that there was toilet paper at home now.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The apartment was clean, thankfully, so Sakura didn't need to rush and clean. She did, however, close Naruto's bedroom door. She'd told Ino to come by around six, and then they could order something for dinner. Neither of the girls had eaten lunch, Sakura was too balled up with nerves to attempt such a feat. She did wonder about Ino not eating though. It had been a sore subject when they were just entering their teens.

_"Sakura, if you keep eating like that no guy is ever going to like you." Ino said sticking out her tongue. Sakura smirked and shoved more food into her mouth. Ino grimaced and returned to her own lunch. The pink-haired teen watched as Ino pushed around the green leaves of her salad._

_"Do you want some of my sandwich?" Sakura asked, casually holding out her half-eaten sandwich. Ino glanced at the turkey and cheese sandwich and shook her head._

_"Do you know how many calories are in that bread?"_

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she mumbled as she took another bite. Ino watched her, her mouth parted slightly._

_"Actually, give me a bite forehead."She demanded, and Sakura obliged holding out the sub sandwich for Ino to take a bite of. Ino took a large bite and chewed slowly, savoring the flavor of something that wasn't an undressed salad. Sakura raised an eyebrow and went back to eating, her eyes flitting back to Ino. The blonde girl finally swallowed the bite and then bit her lip. She picked at her salad for a few seconds. Sakura watched as the other girls eyes flicked over to where the bathrooms were._

_Ino stood abruptly, and Sakura looked up at her. "Where are you going?" The pink-haired girl asked setting her sandwich down. Ino jutted her chin out, gesturing to the bathroom._

_"I just need to pee, god Sakura, you're worse than my mom." Ino stalked off, her attitude blindsiding the other girl. Sakura looked back at her sandwich and sighed. She stood, and slowly made her way to the bathroom. Ino had already gone in. Sakura pushed open the door, and immediately heard the sound of someone vomiting._

_Sakura didn't say anything, instead she went to the sink and ran the water to drown out the noises. She stood by the door, and when someone attempted to come in, she stopped them. Sakura told them that someone wasn't feeling well and to come back in a little while. Eventually Ino came out of the stall, her brilliant blue eyes met light green ones. The shame of what she had done evident on her face._

_"Ino," Sakura whispered, and Ino shook her head._

_"Please Sakura, don't." She replied looking away. Sakura's lips tightened into a thin line, but she held her tongue. Ino washed her hands, and then pushed past Sakura to leave the bathroom. Sakura's hand clasped around Ino's thin wrist and the blonde stopped in her tracks. She refused to look at Sakura, so the green eyed girl gently pulled her back, and enveloped her into a tight hug._

_"You're beautiful," she whispered into her shoulder. Ino didn't reply._

A knock sounded through the apartment and Sakura snapped back to the present. She wiped her hands on her shirt and went to the door. She threw open the door and was greeted with a smirk. Ino thrust a bottle of wine into Sakura's hands and stepped into the apartment.

"Glad you found the place easily." Sakura said taking the wine into the kitchen. Ino followed on her heels.

"I just followed the smell of instant ramen." Sakura looked at Ino with a surprised look. Ino held up her hands. "I'm joking!" Sakura visibly calmed and set down the bottle of wine on the counter.

"Do you want me to crack this open now?" Sakura asked gesturing to the bottle. "Or," she interjected rummaging through a kitchen drawer and pulling out all of the take-out menus. "Do you want to wait until food comes?" Sakura fanned them out and held them up to the blonde. Ino plucked one out of Sakura's hand and flipped through it.

"What are you feeling?" She asked raising her blue eyes to Sakura's. The pink-haired girl shrugged. "Oh come on! Nothing? You're useless." Ino pouted looking back at the menus. Sakura rolled her eyes. Ino might be older, but she didn't change much from when they were kids.

"I'd be cool with just pizza, that pairs well with wine right?" Sakura asked.

"It does have cheese on it."

"Perfect, we're really classy." Sakura joked.

The two women debated on what to have on their pizzas, before finally settling on just plain cheese. "Extra cheese!" Ino had yelled when Sakura placed the order for delivery. Ino wandered around the spacey two bedroom apartment, and Sakura watched her curiously.

"You guys don't have a lot here." She said finally after peeking into Sakura's sparse bedroom. The pink-haired woman shrugged, not sure how to respond. "I also thought Naruto would be more of a hurricane, this place is so clean!" She exclaimed her eyebrows raising up comically, so much so that Sakura had to hide behind her hand to keep from bursting out laughing.

"There is a reason his bedroom door is shut." She said with a smirk. Ino got a gleam in her eye and went towards Naruto's bedroom. Sakura put out an arm to stop her. "Oh, no you don't. He's my best friend; I can't have you breaking his trust in me." Sakura said seriously, although a smile betrayed her when she looked at Ino's grumpy pout. Sakura laughed, and gently pushed Ino away from his door.

"You're no fun Sakura." Ino said with a wave of her hand as she went back into the living room.

Sakura sat with Ino on the couch, both girls chatting about what people were doing now outside of high school. Ino had Sakura in stitches after a story about how Shikamaru had gotten tied down by a girl named Temari; and that he didn't even realize they were dating let alone that he had somehow proposed. By the time the pizza arrived Sakura was crying with laughter. When the bell rang the two women raced to answer the door; Sakura gave the delivery boy the money and thanked him, while Ino ran off with the pizza.

With the door now closed, and the smell of pizza wafting through the apartment, Sakura made her way back into the kitchen to retrieve the wine and two glasses. She set everything on the counter while she searched for the corkscrew. She heard light footsteps from behind her and she spun around, coming face to face with a wide-eyed Ino.

"Wow, you're hard to sneak up on." Ino breathed her face a mere foot from Sakura's. The pink-haired woman felt heat rising to her cheeks and she twisted away from Ino.

"If you want to go change into pajamas, I'll find the corkscrew." Sakura suggested while avoiding looking at the blonde.

Ino moved away, and Sakura cast a quick glance to see the blonde pick up her bag and head towards the bathroom. The pink-haired girl brought her hands to her eyes and pressed. _You're so obvious Haruno, get your shit together,_ she scolded herself. Sakura took a deep breath and continued her search. Once she finally located it -on top of the fridge of all places- she brought the glasses and the wine into the living room.

Finally Ino returned, and Sakura looked her over slowly. Gone were the fashionable clothes, replaced with loose fitting sweats that hung on her hips attractively and a thin black tank top that accented the fact that she had removed her bra. Sakura could feel heat rushing to her face again and she looked away.

"I finally found it, do you mind?" Sakura held out the corkscrew and bottle; her eyes avoiding Ino's. Ino took the items from Sakura and sat on the couch to open it. "I'm going to get changed," Sakura stood and went to go to her bedroom.

"I'll throw in the movie!" Ino called when Sakura was out of the room.

"Okay, I'll just be a minute!"

Sakura went into her bedroom and shut the door. She leaned back against it, her eyes raised to the ceiling. "Get a hold of yourself," she whispered. She pushed off the door and went to get an outfit for bed. Sakura found a pair of red boxer shorts and a black t-shirt and threw them on. She opted to leave her sports bra on, deciding she didn't want to be on Ino's comfort level. She caught her eye in the full length mirror, and she sighed. She would go out there; and she would push aside her feelings, because Ino deserved a friend; and once upon a time they had been best friends.

OoO

Ino had put on an romantic action movie where a man had kidnapped a woman and was holding her hostage. The woman was starting to fall for the kidnapper, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"That's not love, that's Stockholm Syndrome." She told Ino.

"Stop ruining the movie Sakura."

"I'm just saying; that's not love." Sakura said turning to face the blonde; Ino sat holding a throw pillow against her chest, her chin resting on it. She didn't look at Sakura. "It blows my mind how this scenario of being trapped in a relationship is attractive to people." She continued flippantly. Sakura tilted her head curiously when she noticed that Ino had bit her lip. Her eyes shimmering in the glow from the TV.

Ino looked at Sakura, her eyes pleading. The sounds on the TV playing in the background. Sakura noticed tears trailing down Ino's cheeks and she went to reach for her to bring the blonde close.

Then everything changed.

A gunshot rang out, and Ino jumped. A startled shriek escaped her lips, as Sakura pounced on her. Sakura quickly hooked her arm underneath Ino's arm and pulled her close. Ino still clutched the pillow as Sakura dragged her over the back of the couch. The blonde's back hit the floor with a thud and Sakura was pulling at the pillow.

"Hang in there private, I got you." Sakura said sharply at Ino's panic. Ino attempted to push away the other girl but was quickly restrained. "No, you're in shock. I've got to stop the bleeding." Ino thrashed around. "Stop moving," Sakura said holding Ino's arm above her head.

Sakura's training kicked in, all around her was gunfire. She hid behind a downed humvee, a young private lay bleeding out from a gunshot next to her. He was entering shock, and if she didn't work fast he'd bleed out.

"Sakura!" A female voice shouted and Sakura looked down at the young man.

"Helps coming, I need to see the wound." Sakura tore at the uniform of the young man searching for where the blood was coming from. His bright blue eyes looking at her in fear.

"I'm not hurt; Sakura, it's Ino!" The blonde shouted as Sakura tore the pillow away from her. The pink-haired girl didn't hear her. The blonde struggled with Sakura, but the woman was much stronger than she had thought. Sakura's eyes were glazed over, and Ino realized she wasn't seeing her. For a moment Ino was afraid of what Sakura might be seeing. The pink-haired woman paused and tilted her head as if listening to something.

"They're calling in an airstrike." Sakura said, and Ino froze. Sakura put a hand on her cheek. "We've got to move, it's going to hurt." Sakura maneuvered the struggling Ino so that she could pull her to safety. Sakura crashed into a side table and the two girls toppled over, Sakura landing on top of Ino, their bodies crushed together.

Just as fast as it had started, Sakura's eyes returned to normal. The emerald orbs found Ino's and widened when she realized that she was on top of the blonde. She rolled off and sat up on her knees. Ino's breathing came out in sharp breaths as if she'd just run a mile. The two women looked at each other; Ino with fear in her eyes and Sakura with a look of puzzlement.

"W-what happened?" Sakura whispered, realizing that the memory was fuzzy. They were watching a movie, and now here they were. The side table was tipped over, a lamp lay unbroken on the floor and Ino's glass of wine had spilled; staining the carpet.

"Y-you just freaked out!" Ino sputtered hugging her arms around herself. Sakura's face fell.

"Are you hurt?" Sakura asked timidly, her eyes scanning over Ino's exposed skin for cuts or bruises. Ino shook her head, her eyes on the floor. "I'm-I'm so sorry Ino." She whispered.

"What the fuck was that?" Ino hissed, and Sakura recoiled in shame. The pink haired woman stood, and righted the table. "No, you don't get to avoid this." Sakura paused mid-picking up the lamp.

"I told you earlier," Sakura muttered. Ino stood, her arms crossed over her chest. Sakura placed the lamp back on the table and then picked up the glass. Sakura noticed then, the noise of the movie and she promptly reached over and shut off the TV.

Sakura knew that Ino was watching her, observing her like she was a freak. "I've got to get a towel." Sakura stated, and she walked away.

Sakura heard footsteps behind her as she went into the kitchen. She placed the wine glass into the sink and found a hand towel to try and sop up the liquid from the carpet. When Sakura turned around she found Ino standing; with tears flowing from her eyes. The pink-haired woman didn't know what to say, no doubt she had frightened the other woman, and no doubt she would leave. Sakura didn't blame her.

"I'm guessing you probably have to go?" Sakura asked, her eyes pleading with the blonde. _Don't walk out of my life Ino._ Sakura saw the fear in Ino's eyes, how could she not. She didn't know what had happened exactly, but she had been on top of the woman when she came around. That in itself was probably enough to scare her off. _Please don't go._ Ino stepped closer to Sakura and she took a sharp intake of breath as the blonde wrapped her arms around her suddenly. Ino's head came to rest on Sakura's shoulder. The pink haired woman stiffened in the embrace, her own eyes becoming moist from unshed tears.

"It must have been awful over there." Ino murmured. Sakura just nodded, words failing her. The hug continued, and Sakura eventually stopped fighting it and melted into the embrace. She released the towel she was holding and wrapped her arms around Ino.

Naruto was one thing; hugging him was like hugging a brother. Ino was something else entirely. Sakura originally felt stronger than Ino, she'd been through more, but Ino held her with such a fierceness that made Sakura believe the blonde wouldn't let go. Even more so, Sakura didn't want her to. "Please don't leave," Sakura whispered, and the tears finally fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, also please note that this may not be an accurate portrayal of bulimia or PTSD, I mean no harm by this and hope to portray it as accurately as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

The night had shifted into something that Sakura hadn't expected. Both women sat with their feet pulled up onto the couch so that they faced each other. They had fallen into a comfortable and easy conversation about each other's lives. Ino talked about working at the flower shop and that she had been keeping herself relatively busy.

"I'm hoping to eventually expand, and do arrangements for weddings and such. I've done a couple funerals."

Sakura nodded, interested in what Ino had been doing since high school. When the conversation turned to Sakura's life; the pink-haired woman talked a little about the Army.

"Being an EMT is kind of along the same lines of what I was doing overseas." She explained. "However, rather than having a whole bunch of guys around me, I've just got a partner who is always reading porn." She joked taking a sip of her wine.

"Oh! I think I know who you're talking about; he comes into the flower shop often to get flowers. I think he takes them to the cemetery." Ino said thoughtfully. "Does he really read porn all the time?" Sakura nodded, and the two women fell into a fit of laughter.

OoO

Eventually, conversation slowed down, and the two women sipped at their wine. Setting her wine glass to the side; Sakura stretched her arms above her head. She felt her shirt ride up to expose her stomach. It was then that Sakura noticed Ino staring at her, the blonde girl sat frozen; wine glass pressed to her lips. Sakura slowly lowered her arms, and watched as Ino shook her head to clear her thoughts and finished taking her sip of wine.

"It's getting late," Sakura whispered. Ino's eyes flicked up to hers. Sakura felt her breathing become shallow as the two women held each other's gaze. Ino's cornflower blue eyes scanned Sakura's face and fell upon her lips. The pink-haired woman licked her lips subconsciously, and Ino again shook herself out of her stupor.

"Um, where will I be sleeping?" She asked, avoiding Sakura's stare. Sakura's lips quirked into a small smile and she shifted so she could stand.

"I figured you'd sleep in my bed," the woman said pushing herself off of the couch. She glanced at Ino; surprised but elated to see the blonde blushing furiously. _Is that from the wine?_ Sakura wondered as she led the woman to her bedroom.

Ino leaned against the door frame as Sakura focused on making sure her bed was good enough for the platinum blonde. She smoothed out the bed and replaced the pillowcases so that Ino wouldn't have to sleep where Sakura had most likely drooled. Sakura turned suddenly to say something to Ino and was shocked to see that the blonde startled. She was checking me out. Sakura realized with a smirk.

"Like what you see?" She joked.

Ino stuck out her tongue; "I'm just jealous, your body is rockin' Sakura!" She exclaimed. Ino ran her hands down her own body, and a frown appeared on her face. "You've got to tell me your secret."

The corners of Sakura's lips turned down, and she looked at the beautiful woman standing before her. Ino had never been fat, in fact, if anything; she had always seemed almost sickly skinny. Sakura's mind went back to the times she'd caught Ino throwing up in the bathroom. "You're beautiful." Sakura suddenly told the woman, and Ino looked at her surprised, and Sakura watched as the memory from years before crossed Ino's features.

"I eat whatever, but I do run every morning," Sakura explained as she went to her closet and pulled out one of her throw blankets. "You can come run with me sometime," she suggested as she grabbed one of her pillows off her bed.

Ino laughed, "ha, I haven't run outside since high school cheerleading." Sakura shrugged and gestured for Ino to move; her arms full of the bedding. Ino quickly side-stepped out of the way so that Sakura could pass.

Ino followed Sakura to the living room and realized that she planned to sleep on the couch. "You can have your bed, I don't mind," Ino said but Sakura just shook her head.

"I'm used to sleeping in small spaces, its fine really," Sakura said with a cross look. Ino opened her mouth to retort, but with the look on Sakura's face, she quickly shut her mouth.

The two women bid each other good night and took turns in the bathroom. Sakura took care of the wine glasses and the food and curled up on the couch. She'd left the light above the oven on, in case Ino needed to get up in the middle of the night, and she wondered if it would bother her. Sakura lay, staring up at the dimly lit ceiling and thought about the woman that was lying in her bed. Her mind thought back to the evening and the small moments where Sakura felt that Ino was looking at her differently than a friend. _It's almost as if she's curious._ Sakura thought as she rolled over onto her side.

Sleep came quickly for Sakura; the adrenaline from the episode she'd had earlier had worn off and left her exhausted. However, falling asleep quickly meant dreams came faster; and the only dreams that Sakura had, were nightmares.

OoO

_"Yo, 68 Whiskey." A man hollered over to Sakura. She rolled her eyes at the nickname reserved for Army medics."Have you ever thought about adding one more to make 69?" He said with a cocky grin._

_"Sergeant Haruno is out of your league private, I'd suggest you leave her alone."_

_"Yes, Staff Sergeant!" The man exclaimed and sulked off._

_"Thanks, Kankuro," Sakura muttered, "But I could've handled him."Kankuro grinned and put a hand on her shoulder._

_"Consider it payback for helping me with that poison shit that I got hit with." He joked, moving away with a slight wave. Sakura just shook her head, a small smile on her lips._

_Sakura climbed up into the Bravo humvee, its primary mission was to provide back-up to Alpha. She sat back, resting her head on the headrest. She sat next to a pair of legs of the corporal who was manning the machine gun. She peeked up at him and saw his jaw set. She looked forward, to see what he was watching. A group of people in black robes, and with wide-eyed horror, Sakura noticed one of them had an RPG._

_It happened quickly, the explosion caused the Humvee to slide back, and Sakura moved quickly to get out of the vehicle. The grenade launcher hadn't hit them, but the blast caused the sudden movement. Sakura looked around; the personnel in her vehicle readied their weapons and sent a barrage of bullets towards the group._

_"Is that the Akatsuki?" A private yelled over the sound of gunfire. Sakura nodded and looked over to where the other humvee had been. With a heavy heart, Sakura realized that it was on fire. She saw movement, and she realized that one of the men was still over there._

_"Corporal! Cover me; I'm going to see if anyone survived." Sakura yelled to the young man. He nodded and shifted his position so that he could send another round of gunfire towards the men._

_Sakura adjusted her medic pack and took hold of her M-16, and with a nod from the corporal, she darted out into the open. She moved quickly in the desert heat, and she found that the men in the Humvee were burning. One man, however, had been thrown out._

_Kankuro._

_"Fuck, Kankuro," Sakura said accessing his injuries, she saw that there was blood on his leg and she examined it closer found that he had an open fracture. She shook her head. "Hang in there Kankuro." The medic hurried, the man groaning in pain._

_"Sakura did the others--"_

_"Shut up," she said cutting him off. "I need to get you out of here." The small medic manoeuvred the larger man up so that she could drag him. She waved over to the other guys and the corporal delegated that the private assist Sakura._

_"Help me carry him," Sakura barked orders and the private nodded helping her lift Kankuro. Sakura and the other guy dragged Kankuro from the destroyed humvee._

_"Sergeant! Get in the Humvee!"_

_Sakura and the private pushed and pulled the screaming man into the Humvee. Sakura felt the humvee tear away from the scene. Kankuro's screams filled the humvee as they bounced over the terrain. Sakura continued to check his wounds; the man that she considered a friend had cuts from glass and shrapnel. A chunk of metal was embedded in his chest, and Sakura knew it was too close to his heart._

_She closed her hand and his, and the man found her eyes._

_"Saku--" He whispered._

_"Easy Kankuro," she murmured pulling his helmet off. She found another injury across his forehead, it was bleeding freely and she applied gauze and put pressure on the wound. Such a minor attempt to help. Sakura listened to his breathing slow, and his eyes boring into hers. None of the men watched them, all too focused on what had happened._

_No matter how fast they had travelled, the result would be the same._

_Kankuro had died in Sakura's arms._

OoO

Sakura bolted upright; a cold sheen of sweat coated her body. Her bedclothes had soaked through and her breaths came out laboured. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she grounded herself. My name is Sakura Haruno, I'm in Konoha. She dropped her head into her hands; she shook with the sobs that wracked her body and with the memories that haunted her.

"Sakura," a light voice said from behind her.

Sakura wiped at her face, and when she was satisfied that the tears had been sopped up she turned around. Ino stood; silhouetted by the oven light in the kitchen; arms crossed and when Sakura's eyes adjusted to the contrast she noticed Ino's eyes shone with tears.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," she murmured softly. "I'd hoped that the wine would keep the nightmares at bay," she trailed off, realizing she was rambling.

"I thought you were dead," Ino said echoing what she had first said to Sakura in the hospital. Sakura looked at the woman, her face contorting into a look of confusion. Ino took a hesitant step closer.

"All these years," she continued, "I hadn't seen you or heard about you. No one talked about you." She paused and looked at Sakura with desperation.

"Ino, I--" Ino raised a hand to interrupt her.

"Your parents moved away ages ago, I assumed you'd died. For eight years Sakura, I thought you were dead." Ino's voice was barely a whisper, and Sakura struggled to hear her. Ino's hair stuck to her tear stained cheeks, and she brushed them away furiously. Sakura sat, dumbfounded by the admission.

"We were so awful to you," she murmured. "I was so awful to you." Ino's guilt spilled from her eyes and took form on her face. Her thin body shook with nerves, and Sakura couldn't bring herself to stop her. "Maybe, if I hadn't pushed you away," she paused and Sakura tilted her head watching as Ino struggled to find words. "Maybe, if I hadn't pushed you away, you would've stayed." She said finally.

Sakura went to speak and Ino shook her head.

"If I hadn't treated you like such a bitch, maybe neither of us would be fucked up."

Sakura recognized that Ino was trying to apologize, and she was thankful for that. However, she didn't like being considered 'fucked up'.

"I joined the Army to pay for school. My parents wanted to move when I was in high school, which you didn't know because we'd gone separate ways. I only kept in touch with Naruto. It's not your fault I have PTSD." The words came out in a rush, afraid that Ino would interject again. She felt her voice rising, and Ino shied away in surprise.

"I went to fucking war Ino. I have PTSD from seeing comrades die, or blown to bits."

Ino paled, and Sakura found herself standing.

"Why do you care now? It's been almost 10 years," she brought her voice down to a whisper.

"You weren't the only one affected," Ino said in a monotone, her blue eyes holding Sakura's intense and angry glare. "I knew what was happening, and I didn't stop it. I watched you disappear again."

"Ino, we were teens, that's what teens do." Sakura sighed.

"No." Ino said fiercely, "that's not what someone does to someone they love."

Sakura's jaw dropped, and her heart fluttered briefly before she grounded herself and put out the immediate hope.

Ino faltered when she realized what she had said. "When you care about someone," she amended. Sakura nodded, her gaze falling from Ino's. The two women fell silent; the elephant in the room had made its presence known.

"Go back to bed Ino."

"Come with me," the blonde whispered.

Sakura shook her head, "I-I'm fine," she stuttered. Ino slipped her hand into Sakura's and pulled the speechless woman gently towards her bedroom. Sakura allowed herself to be guided; her heart beating a mile a minute.

OoO

Warmth radiated from the woman next to her; Sakura lay facing Ino; her emerald eyes holding Ino's turquoise ones. Both of them were silent as two pairs of eyes moved around to take in the dimly lit face of the other. Sakura's hand rested between the two of them; and in a slow deliberate motion, Ino took it within hers. Ino brought Sakura's hand close to her face, and the pink-haired woman could feel hot air being breathed onto her skin.

"I'm sorry," Ino whispered.

"Don't be," Sakura replied.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Ino asked, squeezing Sakura's hand gently. The war-torn veteran blinked slowly, the images of Kankuro dying hid behind her eyelids; she opened her eyes, moisture collecting in the corners.

"You wouldn't understand," Sakura said softly. Ino kissed Sakura's hand to comfort her as tears began to fall.

"I could try," Ino offered, and Sakura just shook her head. Ino nodded in understanding. "Okay, in your own time." She said with a strained smile that morphed into a yawn.

When she recovered she gave Sakura's hand a final squeeze and released it. "Try to get some sleep Sakura, sweet dreams." Sakura smiled; a slight, thankful smile and her eyes closed. The last image she saw was of Ino's eyes and pale skin in the glow of the alarm clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to MissKyuubi for taking the time to beta-read this chapter!! Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading so far.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

"Hey Saku- oh!"

Sakura jumped awake, her body tangled in limbs that weren't her own. She twisted out of the embrace noticing the platinum blonde hair that splayed across Sakura's pillows. A small smile tugged at her lips, but she didn't have time to revel in the fact that Ino Yamanaka was in her bed; Naruto ruined that.

"Sakura what's goin-"

Sakura sent him a rather heated glare, and put a slender finger to her lips. He shut his mouth and Sakura carefully slid out of the bed; in order to avoid waking the woman next to her. She stood, and took a last look at Ino as she adjusted from Sakura's movement. Her soft sleeping face came into view and Sakura felt her heart palpitate from how cute she looked.

Sakura turned her focus back on the spiky haired man and shooed him out of the room. She followed on his heels and shut the door softly behind her. The two friends found themselves facing each other in the living room, both with their arms crossed. Naruto's brows were furrowed in disappointment and Sakura felt like a child about to be scolded by her father.

She realized quickly why he was treating her this way, he was worried about her. Of course.

"It's not what it looks like," she said dumbly, averting her gaze from his. Naruto rolled his eyes skeptically.

"Sure looked like that was Ino in your bed." He deadpanned.

"Well yes, but nothing happened, we just-"

"She's married," he interjected.

"I know that, idiot." She spat getting increasingly angrier with her friend.

"You're the idiot who is going to get hurt." He shrugged.

Sakura felt her face heating with her anger. She uncrossed her arms and shoved a finger into Naruto's chest. "You were the one who told me to make nice with her." She pushed him back. Naruto threw his hands up exasperated.

"I did, but I didn't tell you to sleep with her!" He practically shouted, and Sakura winced.

"I had a flashback last night." She said; and then delved into the story of how she had dragged Ino over the couch. "I could have hurt her," Sakura paused and looked at Naruto. His bright blue eyes looking at her expectantly. "She didn't run away." She whispered. Her eyes dropped to her hands. "She had the opportunity and she stayed."

Naruto's face softened.

"Sakura," he whispered, taking a step closer.

She shook her head and continued her tale. "Afterwards I had a nightmare; I was on the couch." She let out a breath, and she closed her eyes. "It was Kankuro, I told you about that one." She stated looking at him finally.

"I remember, that's a common one." He murmured thoughtfully.

"We slept in the same bed, no more, no less." Sakura collapsed onto the couch, her head falling into her hands. She was overwhelmed by the conversation so early in the morning. She looked over at Naruto and found him leaning against the door frame, he seemed more relaxed. Even though she appreciated that he was always concerned and cared about her, sometimes he was too... overbearing.

Her mind went back to the night before, and how she had fallen asleep easier next to Ino than she had since being discharged from the military. Realization crossed her features, and she twisted to look at Naruto; her eyes wide.

"I didn't have a nightmare after I fell asleep with her." She said slowly, the words surprising both of them. His eyebrows raised into his hairline and a small smile played on his lips.

"That's the most cliché thing I've ever heard." He said bursting out laughing. Sakura grabbed a couch throw pillow and threw it at him, but he managed to dodge it at the last second.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," he replied a twinkle in his eye. Sakura smiled at the man, and his features twisted back into concern. "But," he started slowly and Sakura sighed; not wanting to go back to the other topic. "I want you to be careful, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Naruto, I'm fine."

"Just remember, she's married."

"What do you think I am?" She asked her temper flaring again. "I'm not a home-wrecker." She crossed her arms and looked away from him pointedly. She heard him sigh.

"Just don't get your heart broken, don't fall for her."

"I'm not falling." She said; not even convincing herself. "We're just friends."

Both friends jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Sakura looked past Naruto and saw Ino standing awkwardly. She groaned inwardly. Naruto spun around and came face to face with Ino. His face split into a genuine grin and his eyes lit up. He threw open his arms as if going in for a bear hug with a sister.

"Ino!" He exclaimed practically yelling. Smooth Naruto. Sakura thought rolling her eyes. "Sasuke was telling me that he saw you last week," he said with a smile. "It's been a while."

Ino stared at him intently, and Sakura could see the gears turning as Ino started to put the puzzle together. "Sasuke?" She asked confused.

"Yeah, we hung out last night, and he said that he'd-"

"Sasuke?" She said again, her eyes widening and her hand coming up to cover her mouth that had opened with the shock and realization. Naruto's forehead crinkled, and he looked at Ino like she was broken. Sakura held back a giggle as she watched the exchange.

"You and Sasuke?" Ino questioned again, looking at the woman losing it behind him. Naruto whirled around to look at Sakura, his eyes widened in surprise and betrayal. She held up her hands in defense, and shook her head.

"She thought we were dating, so I told her you were gay." She explained a grin plastered on her face. Naruto sighed and looked back at Ino. Now that the cat was out of the bag, he'd have to bring her in on the secret.

"Sasuke doesn't want anyone to know yet, so please, keep this between us." He stated glumly.

Ino nodded her understanding, although her mind continued reeling with the information. Sakura caught Ino's eye and the two shared a smile. Albeit Ino's was a little more shier than normal. Naruto looked between the women and smiled to himself. He turned to Ino and she slowly turned her attention to him.

"Hey Ino, are you staying for breakfast?" He asked. Ino shook her head.

"I need to go home," she said looking back at Sakura. Sakura looked at her curiously. "Sai is coming home today, and I need to be there." She was responding to Naruto's question but holding Sakura's gaze. "Actually, I should get my things."

The blonde turned away; breaking the eye contact; and walked back to Sakura's room to retrieve her things. Sakura let out a groan, and Naruto continued to look in the direction of where Ino went. He cast a glance at Sakura over his shoulder.

"Do you think she heard us?"

The second throw pillow made contact with his face.

OoO

Sakura rapt her knuckles on the door to her room and waited. Only once she heard the soft 'come in' did she go into her room. Ino stood folding up her clothes and putting it into the bag she came with. Ino didn't look at Sakura, but she didn't seem to hold any malice. Sakura took a deep breath; trying to think of what to say to the blonde.

She sat on her bed, the mattress sinking from her weight. "I'm sorry about that," she muttered. Ino looked at her then; putting her hands on her hips and looking directly at the pink-haired woman.

"Is it true?"

Sakura let out a slow breath and looked away from Ino. Which seemed to be enough for the blonde because she let out a light laugh.

"God, I can't believe it." Ino shook her head and Sakura's heart plummeted. She didn't realize that she was that repulsive. Sakura chanced a look at Ino and found that she was smirking. "I mean, Konoha's most eligible bachelor is dating the PE teacher." A grin spread across the blonde's face and Sakura eyed her suspiciously. Her emerald green eyes narrowed; but Ino's grin didn't falter. Sakura sighed; defeated.

"Ino, I know you heard." Sakura fidgeted with her hands, avoiding making eye contact with the blonde. "I can explain-"

"Sakura, you said it yourself; we are just friends." Her grin was replaced by a small, easy smile.

OoO

Ino left shortly afterwards, and Sakura -wanting to avoid the onslaught of questions from Naruto- followed her out the door. She went straight to the park for her morning routine. She had forgotten her iPod; which was abnormal for her; but with the recent events, she wasn't surprised. She did a few laps around the park; her mind on the night before. The touch of Ino's skin, the easy banter, Ino's warm breath on her skin... she shook the thoughts out of her head and focused on her breathing. The sounds of her feet set the cadence and she ran through her typical mantra.

_My name is Sakura Haruno, I am 27 years old. I was an Army Medic, but now I live in Konoha. I'm apparently still in love with Ino_

She stopped running, her hands on her knees. She couldn't remember when she had started sprinting but she ended up winded from the exertion. Sakura noticed movement coming from her left and she turned surprised to see a green-clad man walking on his hands.

"Oh! Sakura," he said -with no effort- as he did a quick somersault to roll onto his feet. He stood up, his hands on his hips. "I'm glad to see you here, I've been wondering when I would catch you." He beamed, and Sakura held back an eye roll.

"How are you Lee?" She asked politely, hoping to get the conversation moving so that it would end and he'd be on his way.

"I'm positively youthful Sakura!" He gave her a thumbs up. _Did he really just strike a pose?_ She wondered awestruck by the odd man. "How are you?" He asked.

"I'm- uh- I'm good." She stammered.

"Excellent! Since you are in a good mood I was wondering if you might want to accompany me on a date?"

_Oh no._

Sakura attempted to keep her face expressionless, so as not to hurt his feelings, but her surprise was evident. Lee's face fell ever so slightly, but he quickly plastered his look of determination back on. Sakura almost missed it that's how brief it had been.

"Lee, I- well, I'm-" _How do I tell him?_ She wondered as he looked at her expectantly. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm-"

"I knew it! I'm sorry to have assumed that you were single. Someone as beautiful as you is of course already taken." Lee's smile grew wider and Sakura just stood there dumbfounded. "I hope that he makes you happy Sakura! I should be getting back to my routine, I only have today to complete it."

"O-of course Lee, good luck!" He flashed her another smile and flipped back onto his hands. She watched him as he made his way around the loop and she shook her head. _Well, that was strange_ She thought as she made her way back home.

When she returned back to the apartment she noticed Naruto's car was gone, and for that she was thankful. It meant she had more time to avoid his questions; and his concerns.

Despite being alone a lot of the time, and enjoying it, Sakura didn't like being alone now. Her thoughts continuously went to Ino, wondering what she was doing every second of her day. Thankfully, Sakura would be back to work the following day, and she'd have something else to focus on. However, as she went through the motions of her day, she felt increasingly more and more lonely.

Finally, as she lay in bed that night -wondering if the flowery scent in the air was from Ino's presence the night before, or her own imagination- she heard Naruto come in. His voice carried from his room, and Sakura heard a slight rumble of another voice. She rolled over and grabbed her iPod to give her roommate as much privacy as possible. Eventually sleep overcame her, and like every other night; with sleep, came terror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once my beta-reader gets a chance to edit it I’ll re-upload.


	9. Chapter 9

A bell above her chimed softly as she opened the door and stepped into _Yamanaka Flower Shop_. Her emerald eyes scanned the shop, but saw no sign of the woman she was searching for. However, from around the corner she heard an angelic voice call out.

"I'll be right with you!" Sakura didn't respond instead she focused on taking in the flowers and displays around the main portion of the shop. It had been a long time since she had been there, and with a sad heart she realized that it was when Ino's parents had been the owners, when Sakura and Ino had been young.

Sakura could hear the muffled sounds of conversation between Ino and who she assumed was a customer. Sakura felt the petals of a light pink rose, and her mind went to a conversation she had a few days prior.

_"Naruto, why did you allow Ino to stay here?" She asked curiously, remembering how upset he'd been to find Ino in bed with her that morning. The blonde man looked at her with squinted eyes; he seemed to be contemplating the answer. Sakura waited uncharacteristically patient for his response._

__

__

_After a few moments, he released a breath that she didn't realize he had been holding. His cerulean eyes caught hers and she saw the sadness radiating in them._

__

__

_"I really can't tell you," he said and Sakura opened her mouth to retort- the patience ruined. Naruto scowled and furrowed his brows, "No." He said calmly. "You don't get to beat it out of me this time." He crossed his arms defensively and held her gaze. It was in that moment that she realized how tall he had gotten. He'd been so short the entire time they were in high school, and finally as a senior he'd really shot up. Sakura huffed, and with a scowl she collapsed onto the couch. Her best friend sighed and took a seat next to her._

__

__

_"Sakura, I wish I could tell you. Truly." He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Sakura's jade eyes captured his and she saw his internal battle to do the right thing. She adored that about the man, he always -no matter what- kept his promises. Sakura looked away, guilt chewing at her gut._

__

__

_"I understand," she murmured her face softening. Naruto's hand dropped from her shoulder and he went to stand, satisfied that she'd dropped the conversation. "Naruto," she said. He froze; not looking at her, fearing his resolve. "Can you at least tell me if she is safe?" The question wasn't unwarranted. She had seen Ino after a suicide attempt, and she'd seen countless deaths that plagued her daily. Naruto frowned, and mulled over how to answer that without giving away too much information that wasn't his to give._

__

__

_Naruto looked her in the eye, "I hope so." He said finally, and the woman allowed him to leave without further interrogation._

Sakura released the petal, and glanced around the shop once more. She had decided to get her own information. The original story was that Ino felt lonely when Sai was gone on his trips. So she had requested to occasionally spend time at their apartment. Occasionally had been a loose definition, and whenever Sai left town; Ino brought a duffle bag and moved in for the entire time he was gone.

Sakura didn't mind.

Naruto had joked he needed to upgrade the apartment to add another bedroom. Ino had responded saying that she liked sleeping with Sakura. The pink-haired woman in question nearly fainted.

Sakura had enjoyed Ino's presence more than she let on; although she'd never admit that out loud. Nor would she admit that she was a constant ball of anxiety with the constant interaction of the woman she once loved. The days that Ino had been there had felt so natural. The fun and playful banter the three shared, and the dinners together. Sakura personally enjoyed coming home from work and Ino would be waiting for her like a puppy. It was a nice feeling to have someone to look forward to.

Even her professional life had seemed to get easier, she had a breakthrough with Kakashi, and he even admitted that she wasn't so bad to work with. All in all, Sakura thought, life had been going well. Even the nightmares had slowed down. The woman wondered if it was Ino that brought the change; or if finally she felt like she belonged in this world and not so much in the Army.

"Sakura?" A voice came from behind her, and she was pulled out of her thoughts; jumping slightly. She spun around and was met by the light blue gaze of Ino and beside her stood a man in dark clothes, his dark eyes narrowed and his eyebrow quirked ever so slightly. Sakura faltered; a sense of recognition overcame her, and just as quickly she regained her composure. She smiled brightly at Ino.

"Hey," Sakura said her eyes flicking between the two. "I was just wondering if you wanted to get a cup of coffee on your break. I needed to get out of the apartment." Sakura rambled nervously under the dark gaze of the pale man standing next to Ino. Ino's smile didn't quite reach her eyes and she turned to the man next to her.

"Sai, this is Sakura. I told you about her." Ino introduced the man. Sakura offered a smile and put out her hand for Sai to shake.

Sai eyed Sakura for a moment and his gaze dropped to the extended hand. "You're ugly, that forehead is too large for your face." He stated not taking her hand. Sakura let her arm drop to her side and she bit back a retort as heat rose to her face. Ino wrapped her fingers around Sai's arm and tugged him.

"Don't you have a flight soon?" Ino asked and Sai nodded; his expressionless face turning to look at her. Sakura averted her gaze and tried to ignore the sound of their goodbye kiss. She caught Sai's eye as he turned to leave. He pushed past her and she took a step to the side. A shiver ran up her spine with the action and Sakura remembered where she had seen him.

The hospital; Sasuke had escorted him out.

The bell chimed with Sai's leaving and Sakura chanced a glance at the woman in front of her. Ino's face was lit up with a smile. This one reached her eyes, and Sakura found that it was contagious. She pushed away the rude meeting of Ino's husband and focused on the woman in front of her. "Sorry, he is very blunt and-" Sakura shook her head and cut her off.

"Well, he's got a small nose," Sakura said with a shrug and Ino giggled. "Anyway, about that coffee?"

OoO

Sakura was elated after the two had coffee, she had gotten a chance to chat just one on one with the blonde. The past couple of times Ino had spent the night Naruto had been around. Which wasn't a problem, but sometimes Sakura liked to be selfish. One thing that helped was that now she knew that Sai was gone for another trip. Which meant tonight Ino would be lying next to her. So, Sakura was in a good mood. A very good mood.

When she arrived home she found Naruto dozing on the couch. His mouth agape and a bit of drool made his lip glisten. Sakura gave the couch a push from behind, effectively scaring the man. He jumped up and turned sleepily to the laughing woman.

"Wazzat for?" He slurred drowsily. She grinned and sat down on the couch, he followed suit and leaned on his hand eyes drooping slightly.

"Ino's coming over tonight." She stated, a grin plastered to her face. Naruto shrugged, now indifferent to the whole thing. "I'm going to make her dinner." Sakura tapped her chin, she wasn't much of a cook but she wasn't awful either. Naruto yawned and opened an eye to look at her. "Am I invited?" He asked curiously.

"Obviously idiot, you live here." She shot back with a glare.

"Well sounded like you wanted to have a date with her."

"We're just friends," she repeated the mantra once more. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"You're getting in too deep." Naruto warned. Sakura sighed and turned her attention to her best friend.

"I know." She said sadly. "Oh!" She exclaimed remembering the encounter earlier. "I met her husband." Naruto's eyes opened widely to hear the details.

Sakura told him what he had said about her forehead. The messy-haired man gave him a choice name to make Sakura feel better about it. The two friends joked about how he was a knock-off version of Sasuke. "The straight version." Naruto pointed out with a grin. Sakura couldn't help but agree.

"Speaking of Sasuke," Naruto stretched his arms above his head and let out a groan. "I'm suppose to go over to his apartment tonight." He flashed a suggestive grin. "So, you kids will have to enjoy dinner by yourselves tonight."

Sakura's jaw dropped slightly, it had been a little bit since the two women had been alone at home. Not since the episode where Sakura pulled Ino over the couch. She swallowed nervously and Naruto was nice enough not to point it out.


	10. Chapter 10

Naruto left later that day with the parting advice to remember that the stove gets hot. Sakura had all but sent him to the hospital with the punches he'd received. She spent a decent amount of time cleaning up before she ventured into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sakura was by no means a chef, but she wasn't awful; despite Naruto's lack of faith.

She had decided on something relatively simple; not wanting to mess up making dinner for the blonde. She glanced at the clock and got to work on chopping the vegetables. She pulled out the utensils she would need and took care sharpening one of the larger knives. Sakura hummed to herself as she went about the kitchen tasks. _'When did I become so domesticated?'_ she thought with a chuckle.

Just as Sakura put the salmon in to bake her doorbell rang. Quickly wiping her forehead with her arm she made her way to the door. She took a quick glance out of the peep hole and saw the top on Ino's blonde head. She smiled and threw open the door. As soon as the door was open the two women locked eyes; jade and turquoise. Sakura chanced a glance down Ino's body and was surprised to see the fancier outfit the woman had opted for. Her blonde hair was pulled into her typical high pony-tail, and her blouse hung on her frame, exposing her bare shoulders. Sakura's eyes flitted over Ino's collarbones and down her body. The Yamanaka wore skin tight jeans that tapered at her ankles and Sakura noticed a tiny tattoo on the top of her foot of a flower.

Her eyes came back up to Ino's; and the blonde's cheeks reddened under the scrutiny.

"Hi," she said lamely, a smile tugging at her lips. "I didn't expect you to ring the bell," she said gesturing for Ino to come inside. "You don't have to at this point, you're basically a roommate with how often you're over here at this point." Sakura rambled as she led the blonde into the kitchen. She cast a look over her shoulder and noticed that Ino's blush had deepened and when she noticed Sakura looking at her she adverted her gaze shyly. Sakura frowned slightly, but ignored the obvious look of discomfort.

Sakura pulled out a seat for Ino, and the woman politely thanked her and took her seat. Sakura raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Alright, why so formal?" She stated looking at Ino pointedly. Ino released a sigh, and looked at Sakura defeated.

"I'm sorry, I just-" she trailed off, and Sakura softened slightly and took a seat across from the woman. She reached out her hand, and hovered above Ino's before getting the courage to take the woman's hand in her own. The blonde jumped slightly from the touch and Sakura's brow furrowed. She gave Ino's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Hey, you don't have to talk to me; but just know that I'm here for you." She whispered. Ino nodded, and plastered her typical optimistic smile on her face.

"Thanks Sakura, but I'm okay." Sakura looked at her skeptically and Ino squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry about me."

Sakura let out a sigh and smiled, she knew Ino was holding back; but the pink-haired woman wasn't going to push too hard. She knew what that felt like.

"Hey, is something burning?"

OoO

Dinner was a simple affair, the two women talked about their day and talked about the cooking. Ino gave Sakura tips on how to cook the salmon to make it more juicy. Sakura soaked up every word, always eager to learn new things.

"So, Sakura," Ino drawled casually as she brought her dish to the sink. Sakura rolled her sleeves up and started to set up the dishes. She looked at Ino waiting for her to speak. "You're always busy, or hanging out at home." She said finally stepping up next to Sakura.

"I don't know where you're going with this," Sakura replied starting to wash the dinner dishes.

"I'll rinse," Ino stated pushing up her sleeves.

The two worked side-by-side their shoulders and arms grazing each other with every movement. Sakura struggled to stay focused, between Ino's arm touching hers and the comfortable silence that had fallen over them.

"You need a social life," Ino said suddenly.

"I talk to you don't I?"

"More than me, have you talked to anyone from high school?" Sakura shrugged and shook her head.

"Just Naruto and Sasuke." She said passing a plate to Ino to rinse. Ino rinsed it, her lips pursed together in thought. She set the plate to the side and turned to Sakura, putting her hands on her hips.

"That makes sense as to why I didn't know you were back." She paused, her cornflower blue eyes holding Sakura's. "Someone would've told me that you were back."

Sakura eyed Ino curiously, and then went back to washing. "Keeping tabs on me Yamanaka?" She smirked side-eyeing the blonde. "If I recall it was you that walked away from me." Ino faltered, her eyes widening in shock. Sakura passed her another dish and she continued to rinse.

"I did," Ino whispered, her eyes cast downward as Sakura watched her."I kept tabs; I mean."

Ino wiped her hands on her pants and looked at Sakura. "I was pissed when I found out you joined the fucking army." Ino flashed a grin. Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but Ino laughed. "I was pissed because that meant I'd have to worry about you."

"You don't have to worry." Sakura mumbled.

Ino smiled, and her gaze traveled along Sakura's face. Sakura felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she couldn't look away from Ino and the way the blonde was looking at her. "Oh Sakura," Ino whispered; and Sakura's heart pounded. "You've blossomed into a beautiful flower." Ino pushed Sakura's bangs up, her hand against Sakura's forehead. Ino slowly moved her hand through Sakura's hair, and gently tucked a lock behind her ear. "I'm proud of the woman you've become."

Sakura's breath hitched from the touch, and Ino pulled her hand away suddenly; a blush creeping up her cheeks. Sakura returned to the sinkful of dishes, she could feel Ino's eyes boring into the side of her head. _'Get it together Haruno,'_ she thought absently as a memory resurfaced.

_Sakura and Ino sat on the school grounds among the blooming flowers of spring. Sakura's hair was tied up with the red ribbon that Ino has given her a couple months prior. Sakura rested her chin on her knees and turned to look at the blonde next to her. Ino was looking out at the other kids playing and laughing. Sakura felt sad that she kept Ino from her other friends._

_"Ino, why did you give me the ribbon?" She asked looking off towards the rest of the grounds and away from Ino's inquisitive gaze._

_Ino looked at her thoughtfully before leaning back on her hands and tossing her short hair out of her face._

_"Because, I thought it would be a waste." She paused, and smiled at the other girl; her eyes crinkling. "It would be a waste for you to wither away as just a bud."_

_Sakura's head perked up and her jade eyes found Ino's cool blue ones._

_"There's no meaning to a flower if it doesn't bloom." Ino looked at Sakura seriously, her hand taking Sakura's. "Who knows, that bud could be more beautiful than any other flower." Ino squeezed Sakura's hand and released it, turning her attention back to the others on the playground. "I guess we will have to wait and see."_

Ino shifted suddenly causing Sakura to jump; and with a yelp of surprise the pink-haired woman pulled her hand from the water.

Blood seeped from a slice on Sakura's palm, "shit," she muttered putting the cut underneath the running water. Ino's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ino said frantically moving around to help. Sakura smiled and held up the injured hand, the blood had been rinsed away but a thin line threatened to unleash more of the red liquid.

"I've seen worse, I'll be okay." Sakura chuckled grabbing a paper towel to apply pressure. Ino frowned.

"Let me help you," she whispered. Sakura hesitated; she knew she was fine. However, something about the way Ino was looking at her; her cornflower blues searching Sakura's face, pleading with her; made Sakura nod.

Sakura told Ino where they kept the first aid kit; and while the florist hurried off, she waited with the paper towel pressed against the wound.

Ino returned quickly holding the bag labeled First Aid. "Sit," she commanded and Sakura obliged. Ino put the first aid kit on the table and began rummaging through it pulling out what she would need. Sakura put her arm on the table so that Ino would have full access. Her jade eyes met Ino's and the blonde smiled as she tentatively took Sakura's injured hand into her own.

The bleeding had mostly stopped, but the slice threatened to split and rebleed. Ino moved slowly, but expertly. Much to Sakura's surprise. The pink haired woman watched Ino's face as she finished wrapping up her hand, and a small smile creeped onto her face.

Ino double-checked her handiwork and brought Sakura's now bandaged hand to her lips and gave it a gentle kiss. "There; all better." She laughed and Sakura could feel her ears reddening and her face getting hot.

"Uh- so where did you learn first aid?" She asked admiring the skill. Ino smiled, and Sakura noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Well, I didn't intend to take over the flower shop. Not yet at least." She explained as she started putting things back into the kit. "I did about a year of nursing school, but when my parents died I just went with what I knew."

The surprise was evident on Sakura's face, but she shook it off. Ino shrugged and continued, "honestly though, I don't think nursing was a good fit for me."

OoO

"Hey Ino," Sakura said as Ino gathered her things to take a shower before bed. "Why?"

Ino looked at the pink haired woman a smile tugging at her lips. "Why what?" She held her clothes to her chest and leaned against Sakura's door frame.

"Nevermind," she mumbled shaking her head. Ino raised an eyebrow but didn't push her to explain. Ino excused herself and Sakura laid back on the bed.

She lifted her hand above her, inspecting the bandage. Her thoughts drifted to the kiss Ino had given her hand. Sakura heard the shower turn on, and continued to inspect the bandage. She had asked Ino _why_ but she didn't know what she was asking. Why are you here? Why insist on bandaging my hand? Why do you stay away from home whenever you can? Why did you kiss my hand? 

Sakura didn't know how to ask the questions that burned in her mind, how could she. She'd spent years thinking Ino hated her guts. Now she finds out that actually; Ino had been keeping tabs on her. _Why?_

Sakura couldn't lie, she'd been keeping tabs on her too. At least until she left for the military. "I should've asked about her more." She mumbled to herself. She thought back to Ino's parents, such loving individuals and how close Ino had been with them.

Sakura rolled onto her side, and with a frown realized that Ino went through their deaths alone. _'She said that she met Sai around that time. She wasn't alone. She doesn't need you.'_ Sakura thought about the man in the flower shop that morning and how he seemed so emotionless; and how Ino didn't seem sad to see him leave. _'It's such a common thing for them I'm sure.'_ She thought to herself.

Sakura heard Ino come in and sat up to look at her. The blonde was combing her fingers through her hair and nimbly braiding it. Her eyes caught Sakura's briefly and she smiled. The veteran bit her lip in surprise by how unbelievably sexy the other woman looked. Her t-shirt hung loosely on her frame and Sakura could make out her breasts against the fabric, her midriff showed as she lifted her arms and Sakura could see her lean stomach. Her sweats hung on her hips and Sakura resisted the urge to lick her lips.

She found Ino's eyes, and to her surprise she found a look in them she hadn't seen before. Ino closed the distance from where she stood, and came to a stop in front of Sakura. The pink-haired woman watched as the blonde broke out of her trance and sat next to her.

"Sakura, do you think things would've been different?" Ino asked quietly not looking at the other woman. "I mean; if we hadn't stopped being friends." Sakura looked at Ino thoughtfully, and as much as she wished she could answer her. She knew she couldn't.

"I have no idea how things would've turned out Ino." Ino looked at Sakura; her head slightly tilted. "All I know is that we are friends again, and it feels like nothings changed."

"Oh, Sakura; everything is different." Ino whispered.


End file.
